​There wasn’t a more noticeable presence on the ice at the Penguins’ 2026 development camp than Zam Plante, a former fifth-round pick. Last season he finished sixth in NCAA scoring, producing numbers that rivaled those of first-round talents like Gavin McKenna, Porter Martone, and Michael Hage. Plante demonstrated his playmaking and finishing ability last week in Pittsburgh, where he and Pierre Mbuyi repeatedly unsettled opponents in a 3-on-3 tournament.
From Penguins.com: Zam Plante, the captain of Team Rutherford, was the MVP of the day. “I thought he stood out perhaps more than anyone today, with his creativity and hockey sense,” said Tom Kostopoulos, Penguins Director of Player Development. “And then he can finish, he can make plays.” Kostopoulos added a colorful anecdote about the 2022 fifth-round pick, who tallied 20 goals and 51 points in 40 games last season at Minnesota-Duluth, playing alongside his younger brother Max, the Hobey Baker Award recipient. “One of the interesting and cool things about development camp is that we get to know these kids off the ice, too, so we put them in little competitions throughout the week. He won the cornhole tournament. At a bowling alley, he won’t sit down. We do trivia, and he’s all over the answers. It seems like anything we play, he’s involved in, and guys gravitate toward him; he simply seems to enjoy competing and winning.”
Plante formed real chemistry on the ice with 2026 fourth-round pick Pierce Mbuyugi, linking on several plays. “Yeah, he’s a little sniper. He’s fun to play with,” Plante said. The Penguins will be hoping this team-building spirit translates into future opportunities, but there is a significant red flag to consider: the Red Wings have already drafted two other Plante brothers in recent years. Max Plante went 47th overall in 2024, and youngest brother Victor was picked by Detroit at the same position in 2026.
There is already talk—whether tongue-in-cheek or more serious—about Zam simply needing to be patient, finish college, and then explore free agency, potentially reuniting with his brothers in the Detroit organization. Of course, this is likely more daydream than definitive plan, and it’s common for NCAA players to delay signing with their drafting teams, finish their degrees, and choose an NHL home in free agency. The situation has echoed in past cases, including that of soon-to-be-former Penguin prospect Cruz Lucius, though the reasons for those choices vary widely and are not always as straightforward as keeping a family pipeline intact.
All three Plante brothers are set to play at Duluth next season, with Victor enrolling as a freshman and Zam and Max returning as juniors. The family’s path continues to unfold, with Zam’s development camp performance providing a clear signal of his potential and a reminder of the broader drafting and development dynamics at play in the NHL landscape. As for Zam, his performance this year will be watched closely to determine whether he can translate shown promise into sustained progression at higher levels and perhaps, someday, a distinct role within an NHL organization.