The Penguins chose Hallander in the second round (58th overall) in June's NHL Draft, making him their second player selected. Pittsburgh moved up to draft Hallander, sending the 64th and 146th selections to the Colorado Avalanche. Hallander was ranked as the 13th-best European skater prior to the draft by NHL Central Scouting.
Hallander, 18, will spend the 2018-19 campaign skating for Timra IK of the Swedish Hockey League.
A 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Sundsvall, Sweden, Hallander played for Timra IK last season when the club skated in the Allsvenskan league. He totaled nine goals, 11 assists and 20 points with a plus-6 in 40 contests.
Last summer, Hallander helped Sweden capture a bronze medal at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, registering four points (3G-1A) in five games. His three goals were tied for second-most on the club.
Two seasons ago, Hallander suited up for Timra IK's team in the SuperElit league, where he was the highest-scoring under-17 player with 24 points (9G-15A) in 34 games. Hallander also won a gold medal that year with Sweden at the World Hockey Challenge.
