(TNS) —Given that he shot up from 5-foot-5 in eighth grade to his current height of 6-6 as a freshly drafted defensive prospect for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Peyton Kettles had plenty of clothing to pass on to his younger brother Chase once he outgrew it.

But not hockey gear.

And there’s a good reason for that.

“My brother is a goalie,” Kettles said. “So, I couldn’t really hand it down.

“Obviously, growing that much in a short amount of time is definitely difficult to grow into your body. I always had to buy clothes or hockey equipment pretty fast.”

Tipping the scales at 194 pounds, Kettles, who doesn’t turn 18 until Sept. 1, has grown into a rugged right-handed blue liner with the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos. That maturation prompted the Penguins to select him with the 39th overall selection in the NHL Draft last month.

And they were aggressive in doing so.

In order to get the 39th selection, they dealt away defenseman Conor Timmins — a personal favorite of members of management — and mid-level defensive prospect Isaac Belliveau to the Buffalo Sabres.

(Defenseman Connor Clifton — an ill-fitting veteran with an ample salary cap hit of $3,333,333 — was offloaded onto the Penguins in the transaction as well.)

“It’s obviously a big thing when you trade up for a pick in the draft,” Kettles said. “I’m just trying to work as hard as I can to live up to that and see where that takes me. Happy that they traded for that pick.”

Management seemed sated by the transaction as well.

“Super competitive,” said Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark. “Tough. He checks a lot of boxes (as we are) trying to improve certain qualities on the back end here with the depth we have in the prospects.”

A quick examination of Kettles’ statistics from the 2024-25 season would clarify what his qualities are.

He was 14th on the Broncos with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 65 games and third in penalty minutes with 65.

Kettles isn’t shy about being combative.

“Don’t want anybody to come to my corner,” Kettles said. “Want (them) to be scared to play against me. … Just always be physical, always be in guys’ faces.

“I try to be as physical as I can during games on other top players.”

Kettles gravitated to one of the top players in the history of the Penguins as a kid.

Evgeni Malkin.

“It was definitely the first jersey I owned,” Kettles said. “A full circle moment (getting drafted by the Penguins).”

A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba who grew up in the suburb of Transcona, Kettles isn’t the first player from his family to get drafted by an NHL club.

His father, Kyle, was a seventh-round draft pick (No. 205 overall) as a goaltender by the Nashville Predators in 1999.

“He talks a little bit about it (being drafted),” Kettles said. “He told me he had no clue that he was going to get drafted. He never talked to a single team.”

Kyle topped out at the American Hockey League level with the Houston Aeros before a concussion brought his career to an end in 2005. Today, he provides guidance to Peyton about the dedication required to reach the NHL.

Kettles will likely return to the Broncos next season.

He understands his strengths. But he also knows there is room for even more growth.

“It’s definitely a big part in how physical I am with how tall I am,” Kettles said. “It was definitely hard to grow into my body and to gain weight. So, it’s definitely something that I’m still working on.”