With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals signed to an NHL contract – including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons - with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 23, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Tristan Broz

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot

Weight: 205 pounds

2024-25 AHL regular season statistics: 59 games, 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists)

2024-25 AHL postseason statistics: Two games, three points (one goal, two assists)

Contract: In the first year of a three-year, entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $925,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2027

(Blomqvist does not require waivers to be assigned to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: Second-round draft pick (No. 58 overall), July 24, 2021

This season: Even in the summer, Tristan Broz was heated.

When his squad lost a scrimmage during the Pittsburgh Penguins development camp tournament during the 2024 offseason, Broz got angry.

“I want to win, even when it’s July,” Broz fumed. “I’m (ticked) off that we lost right now. I’m here to win.”

Broz, who led Denver to the NCAA championship in 2023-24, largely did win throughout his first full professional season of 2024-25 as a key component of a competitive Wilkes-Barre/Scranton squad.

After recording three assists in three preseason games, Broz was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 4 and spent the entire season with that club.

Primarily serving as second-line center, Broz was one of the team’s leading goal-scorers while primarily playing with fellow forward prospect Rutger McGroarty.

He even found roles on both special teams units. With regard to the power play, he was second on the team with six goals in man-advantage situations.

Broz’s figures might have been more prolific had he not missed 12 games – primarily in January – due to a bout of mononucleosis.

In the postseason, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was eliminated by the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 2-0, in a best-of-three Atlantic Division first-round playoff series. Broz led the team in scoring during that brief appearance.

The future: Broz still has room to improve but his first professional season saw a considerable jump forward in his development, particularly as a goal-scorer.

A fierce competitor who offers a fairly complete 200-foot game, Broz, who added 15 pounds from his listed weight during his final season at Denver (190 pounds), made a fairly quick adjustment to the professional game.

It might be a bit premature to suggest he’s ready to inhabit a role on the NHL roster, especially with franchise luminary Evgeni Malkin still under contract for another season.

But if Broz, who turns 23 on Oct. 10, maintains the trajectory he established in 2024-25, he could earn a recall in 2025-26 and might very well be in line to become the Pittsburgh Penguins’ No. 2 center by 2026-27.