On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins officially signed forward Oliver Okuliar to a one-year, two-way contract that runs through the 2026-27 season after acquiring him in a weekend trade with the Florida Panthers for defence prospect Emil Pieniniemi. The deal carries an NHL average annual value of $850,000.
Okuliar, 26, from Slovakia, has no NHL experience but represented Slovakia at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, finishing with two points, including one goal, in six games. He also played with plenty of physicality in the semifinal against the Tkachuk brothers.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound centre spent one season in the American Hockey League with the Charlotte Checkers, recording 19 goals and 22 assists in 2024-25.
In the 2025-26 Swedish Hockey League season with Skelleftea AIK, Okuliar produced 15 goals and 29 points with a plus-17 rating in 46 regular-season games, helping the club to the league’s best record. In the playoffs, he tied for the SHL lead with six goals and ranked second with 13 points in 15 games as Skelleftea AIK won the championship.
Okuliar will now attempt to make the Penguins roster at training camp, where he joins a competition that includes Rutger McGroarty, Avery Hayes, Tristan Broz and Ville Koivunen.
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