The Penguins and Panthers have made a swap of minor leaguers. Florida has acquired defenseman Emil Pieniniemi from Pittsburgh in exchange for the rights to forward Oliver Okuliar. Both teams have announced the swap.
Pieniniemi’s first season in the pros was a rocky one, to put it lightly. Assigned to the ECHL in October, the 21-year-old refused to report and was suspended indefinitely at the time. After more than two months, he ultimately changed his mind and got into 26 games with Wheeling during the regular season, where he had six goals and five assists. He also chipped in with eight points in 15 playoff contests.
Pieniniemi, a third-round pick in 2023, also got into nine AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, picking up a goal and two assists. He has two seasons left on his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of just under $907K.
As for Okuliar, the winger signed a two-way deal as an undrafted free agent with Florida back in 2024 but played exclusively in the AHL. Despite a strong showing there where he had 19 goals and 22 assists along with 119 penalty minutes in 69 games with Charlotte, he opted to return overseas, signing a two-year deal with SHL Skelleftea.
This season, the 26-year-old played in 46 games in his first taste of that league, picking up 15 goals and 14 assists while adding 13 points in 15 postseason appearances. Okuliar also suited up internationally for Slovakia at both the Olympics and World Championship. He has one year of team control remaining as a restricted free agent.
Given how things transpired between the Penguins and Pieniniemi this season, it’s not overly surprising that the organization has decided to part ways with him. With the swap, Florida picks up a prospect for an asset that likely was going to be relinquished for free next summer. It will be interesting to see if Okuliar’s deal has an NHL out clause to see if Pittsburgh wants to bring him back to North America or if his inclusion is just a different form of future considerations.
Sounds like a good deal for Pitts. Peculiar that anyone would want to have him…
Doesn’t the NHL and IIHF have a deal that allows the NHL to sign IIHF players with signed contracts up to mid-June(15th)?
Does that deal still exist?