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Pittsburgh Penguins Bolster Blue Line as Kyle Dubas Secures New Signing

Originally posted on Hockey Unplugged | By Tom Banks | Last updated Mar 9, 2025 9:29 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Penguins future has gotten much, much brighter in recent times, and on Sunday they confirmed the signing of a potential future blue liner.

Over the past few weeks, the Pittsburgh Penguins have added many future assets, and now, they control more draft picks than any team in the NHL over the next three seasons.

Now, one of those future assets beyond draft picks has officially been signed, as the Penguins announced on Sunday that they have signed Chase Pietila to a three-year Entry Level Contract.

The 21-year old was drafted in the fourth-round of the 2024 NHL Draft by Pittsburgh with the No. 111 overall draft pick, with the Michigan native standing at an impressive 6-foot-3 on the blue line.

In 36 games with Michigan Tech at the CCHA level in 2024/25, Pietila tallied a solid 7 goals and 22 points, tying the number he set the year before, with the defenseman showing great abilities on both ends of the ice early in his career.

While the Penguins blue line is likely set for the remainder of the 2024/25 season, it would be wise if the front office gave young players like this an opportunity, so keep a very close eye on the 21-year old in the next few years.

From the moment he was drafted, many fans and analysts saw Pietila as a future depth option, rather than a potential star on the blue line, but given how well he's developed thus far, there's a chance he can improve beyond what anyone expected.

At this point in time, there's plenty of optimism in the organization about Pietila, and for good reason, and with the team also inking Finn Harding to his ELC recently, the future pieces are now becoming very clear for this team.

This article first appeared on Hockey Unplugged and was syndicated with permission.

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