Brian McKenzie
The 1971 NHL Amateur Draft was held on Thursday, June 10, 1971 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. West Division teams drafted in reverse order of their 1968-69 finish in the standings, while East Division teams reverted back to the rotating draft order from 1967 while accounting for 1968 with teams moving up two positions each. The Montreal Canadiens, who had the option to take the first two French-Canadian players in the draft in lieu of their regular picks, chose first and second overall, taking right wing Rejean Houle and left wing Marc Tardif both of Montreal (OHA), respectively.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who finished with 51 points (20 wins) in 1968-69 - tied with Minnesota (18 wins), would draft second overall out of 12 teams in each round. On May 21, 1968, Pittsburgh traded its first round choice in the 1969 Amateur Draft (Frank Spring, RW, Edmonton) to Boston for Jean Pronovost and John Arbour. The Penguins traded their seventh round choice (Bob Collyard, C, Colorado College) to St. Louis for cash. They also traded their eighth round choice (Frank Hamill, RW, Toronto) to Montreal for cash. This would leave Pittsburgh with five selections in the 10-round draft as they passed on making a selection in the ninth and tenth rounds.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who finished with 51 points (20 wins) in 1968-69 - tied with Minnesota (18 wins), would draft second overall out of 12 teams in each round. On May 21, 1968, Pittsburgh traded its first round choice in the 1969 Amateur Draft (Frank Spring, RW, Edmonton) to Boston for Jean Pronovost and John Arbour. The Penguins traded their seventh round choice (Bob Collyard, C, Colorado College) to St. Louis for cash. They also traded their eighth round choice (Frank Hamill, RW, Toronto) to Montreal for cash. This would leave Pittsburgh with five selections in the 10-round draft as they passed on making a selection in the ninth and tenth rounds.
Joe Noris
Center Michel Briere from Shawinigan, QJHL) was selected with Pittsburgh's third round choice (26th overall) in the 1969 Amateur Draft. Briere played in 76 games for the Penguins in 1969-70 and made his NHL debut on October 11, 1969 vs. Oakland. He had one assists in each of his first three NHL games and scored his first NHL goal on November 1, 1969 vs. Minnesota. In the 1970 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Briere would lead Pittsburgh with five goals in 10 games including three game-winning goals. Briere was named the team's rookie of the year for his performance in the 1969-70 season with 12 goals and 32 assists. On May 15, 1970, Briere was critically injured in a car accident and later died of complications from his injuries on April 13, 1971.
1971 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Amateur Draft Selections
| Choice | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | 1970-71 Amateur Club |
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 18 | Brian McKenzie | LW | St. Catharines Black Hawks (OHA) |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 32 | Joe Noris | D | Toronto Marlboros (OHA) |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | 46 | Gerry Methe | LW | Oshawa Generals (OHA) |
| 4 | 5 | 4 | 60 | Dave Murphy | G | University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA) |
| 5 | 6 | 4 | 74 | Ian Williams | RW | University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (WCHA) |
| 6 | 7 | 4 | 88 | Doug Elliott | D | Harvard University Crimson (ECAC) |
Brian McKenzie |
Joe Noris |
Gerry Methe |
Dave Murphy |
Ian Williams |
Doug Elliott |