PensBurgh’s 2026 Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with Zam Plante at No. 21, and the case for him starts with what he already did at Duluth. In his sophomore season, Plante put up 50 points in 40 games and finished tied for sixth in the NCAA in scoring.
That production fits the scouting report. Plante has the kind of hands and finishing touch that jump off the page, and he’s the sort of player who can take over when the puck lands in the right spots.
There’s also a distinct look to his game. At times he can seem almost detached without the puck, drifting or standing still in a way that doesn’t scream impact player.
Then the switch flips, and he suddenly makes a play. He doesn’t have Phil Kessel’s top-end speed, but there is a similar looseness to the way he carries himself, and he’s very good at leaning into what he does best while working around the limits of his size.
A lot of Plante’s damage last season came while skating alongside his brother Max, the Hobey Baker winner. Max was taken by Detroit in the second round in 2024, and the Red Wings added the youngest Plante brother, Victor, in the second round this year.
Victor is set to join his brothers at Duluth for 2026-27. The Red Wing brothers have already talked about Zam ending up in Detroit once his Pittsburgh draft rights expire in 2028, though that remains speculation.
What isn’t up for debate is how effective the Zam-Max combination was last season.
Plante kept that momentum going at the 2026 Penguin development camp, where he stood out as the best player on the ice. The setting mattered, too.
The event Kostopolous was referring to was a 3v3 competition, and that is the kind of environment where Plante can look especially dangerous: lots of open ice, fewer defenders, and plenty of room to work. He was built to shine in that format, and he did exactly that.
Even with the skill and scoring touch, there are still real questions about how his game will translate to the pros. He remains a smaller scorer who isn’t known for elite pace or heavy forechecking, which leaves some uncertainty about whether his future looks more like Justin Almeida or Jake Guentzel. The truth probably sits somewhere in between, but players with this profile usually have to prove it before anyone fully buys in.
There’s also the clock. Plante will be a 22-year-old college junior this season, and he was drafted back in 2022.
The 2026-27 year looms as a big one for him, with another strong season at Duluth expected. After that, the question becomes whether he forgoes his senior year and turns pro with the Penguins.
By March of next year, he could be at a real crossroads: either he moves closer to becoming part of the organization, or the path to Pittsburgh starts to fade away.
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