The 2012 NHL Entry Draft was held on Friday, June 22, 2012 (1st round) and Saturday, June 23, 2017 (2nd to 7th rounds) at the CONSOL Energy Center, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Edmonton Oilers won the draft lottery with Columbus and Montreal winning the second and third picks, respectively. Edmonton selected right wing Nail Yakupov from Sarnia (OHL) with the first overall pick.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who finished the 2011-12 season with 108 points (51-25-6) and lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, would draft 22nd overall out of 30 teams in each round.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who finished the 2011-12 season with 108 points (51-25-6) and lost to Philadelphia in the first round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, would draft 22nd overall out of 30 teams in each round.
2012 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Entry Draft Selections
| Choice | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | 2011-12 Amateur Club |
| 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Derrick Pouliot | D | Portland Winterhawks (WHL) |
| 2 | 1 | 22 | 22 | Olli Maatta | D | London Knights (OHL) |
| 3 | 2 | 22 | 52 | Teddy Blueger | C | Shattuck-Saint Mary's (Midget AAA) |
| 4 | 3 | 20 | 81 | Oskar Sundqvist | C | Skelleftea AIK J20 (J20 SuperElit) |
| 5 | 3 | 22 | 83 | Matt Murray | G | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) |
| 6 | 4 | 1 | 92 | Matia Marcantuoni | C/RW | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 7 | 4 | 22 | 113 | Sean Maguire | G | Powell River Kings (BCHL) |
| 8 | 5 | 22 | 143 | Clark Seymour | D | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 9 | 6 | 22 | 173 | Anton Zlobin | RW | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
Derrick Pouliot |
Olli Maatta |
Teddy Blueger |
Oskar Sundqvist |
Matt Murray |
Matia Marcantuoni |
Sean Maguire |
Clark Seymour |
Anton Zlobin |
Pittsburgh selected defenseman Zachary Lauzon from Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) in the second round with the pick acquired from St. Louis in the Ryan Reaves trade. Battline a recurring neck injury, Lauzon had four assists in 25 games during the 2017-18 QMJHL regular season and had no points and was a minus-2 in five playoff games. He won the Kevin Lowe Award, the same award won by Kris Letang in 2007, as the QMJHL's best defenseman after the 2016-17 season.
Defensenman Clayton Phillips began the 2017-18 season with the Fargo Force of the USHL before being traded to the Muskegon Lumberjacks on October 24, 2017. Phillips had 12 points (5g, 7a) in 16 games before joining the University of Minnesota for the second semester and the remainder of the 2017-18 NCAA season. He appeared in 11 games with the Golden Gophers and was a minus-3 with 11 shots on goal.
Defensenman Clayton Phillips began the 2017-18 season with the Fargo Force of the USHL before being traded to the Muskegon Lumberjacks on October 24, 2017. Phillips had 12 points (5g, 7a) in 16 games before joining the University of Minnesota for the second semester and the remainder of the 2017-18 NCAA season. He appeared in 11 games with the Golden Gophers and was a minus-3 with 11 shots on goal.