CRANBERRY TWP. (93.7 The Fan) – After he heard his name called by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2026 NHL Draft (86th overall pick, 3rd round), Pierce Mbuyi didn’t feel the need to check his text messages to see the flood of support from his family and friends. Instead, he soaked in the moment with the people around him. Sporting a dark green suit, he slowly made his way over to the stage, one long hug at a time.
“My new head coach and new GM (from the Owen Sound Attack) were in Buffalo, so it was super nice I got to see them. After I got picked I wasn’t on my phone for a couple hours. I went through all the media stuff downstairs, but once I got my phone back it was flooded for sure,” Mbuyi said.
While Mbuyi has now realized his dream of becoming an NHL draft pick, he’s still as motivated as ever to keep growing as a player. Besides the ultimate goal of winning a championship with his current team, the Owen Sound Attack (OHL), what drives Mbuyi most today is the memory of his mother, who lost her battle with cancer back in 2021. Now, Mbuyi’s using the lessons she imparted on him and his brother to be the best captain he can be for his team.
Will Horcoff to return to college in 2026
“I’d say the biggest thing for me (that my mother taught us) was respect. Respect everyone around you. Treat everyone the same. It doesn’t matter if it’s the janitor, the snack bar guy or it’s Kyle Dubas. That’s something I try to live by every day,” Mbuyi said.
Two days into development camp, Mbuyi’s gotten a chance to show off the skill set that allowed him to stand out last season. Through 68 games, Mbuyi notched a team-high 32 tallies. A big reason why? His wicked wrist shot was on full display Tuesday morning during group shooting drills.
Working with other prospects like Zam Plante, Jordan Charron, and Jack Horbach, among others, Mbuyi lit the lamp on several occasions with his trademark wrister. There was even a moment when the on-ice coaches said they would get down and do push-ups if the shooters scored on both of their shots during a drill. Minutes later, the coaches definitely regretted taking that bet.
When asked about what he’s done to sharpen his wrist shot, Mbuyi said he often stays on the ice after practices to take shots on net, working especially on releasing the puck from different angles quickly. Still, he knows there’s plenty of room left for him to improve as a scorer.
“It’s only two days in, but it’s been super intense. I feel like everything we do here is with a purpose, which is super good. They explain to us why we’re doing everything which helps a lot as well in the understanding part. When I go back to Owen Sound for summer training, I can keep these lessons with me,” Mbuyi said.
Once he wraps up development camp this week, Mbuyi will fully dive into his offseason training plan before returning to action with Owen Sound in the fall. After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign that saw his squad finish with a losing record and get swept in the first round of the postseason, Mbuyi’s aware that a bit of culture change is in order. Now, with the stress of the draft out of the way, he’s ready to be the catalyst of that change when he returns.
“(The season) didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but with the changes we have coming in we’re gonna set a culture shape from day one. We want to get back to Owen Sound hockey. I think we got away from that a little bit last year, so it’s important to get back to that and start that right out of training camp,” Mbuyi said.
We’ve got a great core of guys and added a lot of great players, so I think we’ll be good to go,” he added.
After his season in the OHL, Mbuyi is committed to Penn State hockey saying he loves the spirit around that program. Then at some point back to Cranberry Township to compete for the ultimate dream, making an NHL roster.
Pierce Mbuyi uses lessons from his mom at development camp
Pierce Mbuyi uses lessons from his mom at development camp
