Penguins Sign D-man Emil Pieniniemi to a Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Emil Pieniniemi to a three-year, entry-level contract, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations Kyle Dubas.

Pieniniemi, 18, was Pittsburgh's third-round (91st overall) selection of this year's NHL Draft.

The 6-foot-2, 176-pound defenseman split the 2022-23 season between Karpat's Under-18 and Under-20 teams in SM-sarja, Finland's junior hockey leagues. He played 31 games at the Under-20 level, recording one goal, 12 assists and 13 points. With the Under-18 squad, Pieniniemi played three regular-season games, recording three goals and seven points. He also went on to tally six points (3G-3A) in seven playoff games, helping his team to the U-18 SM-sarja Championship.

Pieniniemi also made his professional debut with Karpat of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, and played in one game with them last season.

The defenseman has played a total of 65 career games with Karpat U20 over the past two seasons, recording four goals, 18 assists and 22 points. In 34 career games with Karpat U18 since 2020, he has tallied four goals, 11 assists and 15 points.

The Kuopio, Finland native represented his home country at the World Under-18 Junior Championship in 2023, recording one assist in five games. He also won a bronze medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023 with Team Finland.