Three-year entry level deal
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Michigan Tech hockey sophomore defenseman Chase Pietila has signed a three-year entry-level NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced Sunday (March 9) by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas. Pietila was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft with the 111th pick and appeared in 76 games for the Huskies over the past two seasons, tallying 44 points on 10 goals and 34 assists.
The contract will begin in the 2025-26 season and run through the ’27-28 campaign.
Pietila, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound defenseman, was named to the coaches and the media’s Preseason All-CCHA Team before his sophomore season. As an alternate captain this season, Pietila skated in all 36 games and tallied 22 points with seven goals and 15 assists. He scored the game-winning goal against Alaska (Oct. 12) and had three power-play goals. He registered 68 shots on goal and blocked 32 shots defensively. Pietila led the CCHA in penalties (21) and penalty minutes (50) during the regular season.
As a freshman, Pietila led the Huskies with 19 assists while scoring three goals. He ranked fourth in the CCHA and eighth nationally amongst freshmen defensemen in assists. He also led the CCHA and NCAA freshmen with 60 penalty minutes and received three CCHA Weekly honors while being honored with the team’s Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Award as the outstanding defensive player. Pietila scored in the CCHA Mason Cup Championship Game, helping lead the Huskies to their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also on the GLI All-Tournament Team when the Huskies won their 12th title. After being drafted by Pittsburgh in July, he attended the Penguins NHL Development Camp.
Pietila played 175 games in the USHL for three seasons before coming to Tech. He was an alternate captain on Youngstown Phantom’s Clark Cup Championship team in 2022-23. He played two seasons with Youngstown and one with Lincoln.
