The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted three players in the first round, it was 1984. Two of those players were Doug Bodger and Roger Belanger.

The third guy? I don’t remember. Did he ever amount to much?

Oh … right.

No. None of the three players Pens general manager Kyle Dubas introduced at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex on Monday are expected to become the next Mario Lemieux. Nor are any of them entering the league with the hype that No. 66 did four decades ago.

In fact, most of Pittsburgh didn’t know any of their names a week ago.

But now we do. And moving forward, Ben Kindel (12th overall), Bill Zonnon (No. 22) and Will Horcoff (No. 24) will all be linked together as a set of triplets at the center of the Penguins’ post-Crosby-era rebuild.

Even though Sidney Crosby hasn’t retired yet.

In a best-case scenario, Crosby will skate with these guys in Black and Gold before that happens.

It’s illogical to assume that all three prospects will arrive in Pittsburgh and reach success at exactly the same time.

Horcoff is the most physically developed. Central Scouting already has him listed at 6-foot-5 and 203 pounds. Plus, he’s had 18 games of college hockey under his belt at Michigan.

Zonnon has plenty of room to grow into his wiry 6-2, 185-pound frame. Meanwhile, at 5-9, 174 pounds, Dubas acknowledges that Kindel needs some physical maturation to reach his high-end ceiling.

“Ben is a hugely talented guy,” Dubas insisted. “It’s going to be dependent on what he learns in the next week — how he takes to strength and conditioning, power, and how he’s able to manifest that come training camp.”

Regardless of how the three first-rounders looked in street clothes Monday, Dubas reiterated the importance of tracking their development individually once they get into the Penguins system instead of viewing their collective success or failure as a barometer of how this massive 13-person draft class is remembered.

“I’d love it if we could get them all to October and they were all ready to roll, but I think in development, it’s so different for each one of them. Each of them has a different path,” Dubas said. “It would be fantastic if they all debuted on the same day and then played for 20 years with the Penguins. The Penguins have been pretty fortunate, having something like that in the past (with Crosby, Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Kris Letang). But we have to do what’s best for each of them individually. Their development is the most important thing.”

To an extent, though, it is nice for all three players to have each other on their (metaphorical) wings. If one player tracks through the system to Pittsburgh at an accelerated rate, then perhaps the appetite of Pens fans and media members can be satiated when it comes to wanting results from the massive 2025 class, while the other two develop at a more natural pace.

Or, in the other direction, if all three need to be nursed through the minor leagues at a slower pace, it won’t appear that one-third of the group is dragging along.

“I don’t know if it alleviates the pressure. But I think it’s really cool. We’re already really close,” Horcoff said. “We got drafted. That’s the main thing. It’s the first step in a long process. We are just going to focus on getting better.”

Whatever pressure is associated with being a first-round pick isn’t a concern to Zonnon.

“Pressure is a privilege. I’m going to work as hard as I can, and I don’t think it is going to get to me,” Zonnon said.

Most eyes will be on Kindel. Not just because he was the first of the bunch taken, but because he was selected about 10-12 spots higher than many anticipated.

“It’s really cool to get drafted alongside these two guys. They seem to be great guys already. I’m really excited to move forward in our development together,” Kindel said.

Just remember that Bodger put up 528 points as a defenseman over 16 years and 1,071 games for four different teams. However, in Pittsburgh, only one name from that 1984 three-person draft class leaps to mind.

In the end, Kindel, Zonnon and Horcoff will all write their own hockey epitaphs. That’s how they will all leave the game.

For now, though, it feels like they are coming in as one. And with the challenges that lay ahead for the Penguins franchise, for each of them to at least have the other two to lean on is a nice luxury to have.