The deal is a two-way contract that runs through the 2018-19 season, and it has an average annual value of $650,000 at the NHL level.
Wilson, 26, spent his first season in the Pittsburgh organization in 2016-17, adding leadership and toughness to the Pens' minor-league affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as an alternate captain. In 59 regular-season games with WBS, Wilson produced 11 goals, 20 assists, 31 points, a plus-16 and 83 penalty minutes. He added two assists in five playoff games.
A 6-foot-2, 199-pound Barrie, Ontario native, Wilson enjoyed a solid NHL training camp with Pittsburgh last September, scoring twice in four preseason appearances. Wilson returned to Pittsburgh as a member of the 'Black Aces' practice squad throughout the Penguins' march to a 2017 Stanley Cup championship.
Originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the fourth round (107th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Wilson appeared in 34 regular-season contests and six playoff games at the NHL level with Florida before joining the Pittsburgh organization as a free agent on July 1, 2016. He picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Alex Petrovic's game-winning goal in Game 4 of the 2016 First Round series against the New York Islanders.
Wilson has played in 275 career AHL regular-season games with San Antonio, Portland and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, tallying 59 goals, 66 assists and 125 points. He has served as an alternate captain for his AHL team in each of the last three seasons.
