Penguins A to Z (and back to F): Melvin Fernstrom offers plenty of long-term intrigue

With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 58 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

Forward prospects Melvin Fernstrom and Mikhail Ilyin, who signed with the team in recent weeks, are being profiled after the incumbent members of the organization.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 26, a day before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Melvin Fernstrom

Position: Right winger

Shoots: Right

Age: 19

Height: 6-foot-1

Weight: 185 pounds

2024-25 SHL regular season statistics: 48 games, 17 points (eight goals, nine assists), 11:29 of average ice time per contest

2024-25 SHL postseason statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists), 12:28 of average ice time per contest

2024-25 J20 Nationell regular season statistics: 12 games, 18 points (11 goals, seven assists)

2024-25 J20 Nationell postseason statistics: Four games, seven points (three goals, four assists)

Contract: Entering the first year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $872,500. Pending restricted free agent in 2028.

(Fernstrom does not require waivers for a assignment to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: Trade, Jan. 31, 2025

This past season: Fernstrom split the 2024-25 campaign with Örebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, the top league in that country, and that club’s team in the J20 Nationell, Sweden’s top junior league. And that shuffle between the two squads was fairly regular throughout the season.

Opening things with the J20 Nationell team, Fernstrom got off to a quick start posting three points (two goals, one assist) in two games, including the winning score in a 2-1 home overtime win against Växjö on Sept. 7.

After being moved between the SHL and J20 Nationell roster in mid-September, in six SHL games, Fernstrom primarily operated on the right wing of the third line and scored one goal, the first of his SHL career, during a 4-2 home loss to Skellefteå on Sept. 28.

Melvin Fernströms första mål i SHL! pic.twitter.com/vif6mTcQRt

— Örebro Hockey (@orebrohockey) September 28, 2024

Fernstrom wound up being swapped between the SHL and J20 Nationell teams a total of 11 times before getting a somewhat permanent assignment to the SHL squad in mid-December. Aside from a brief three-game deployment to Sweden’s under-19 team in early February, Fernstrom spent three months at the SHL level.

Eventually promoted to the second line, Fernstrom posted 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his final 27 games of the regular season and helped Orebro qualify for the playoffs.

Melvin Fernströms mål mot Brynäs! pic.twitter.com/BErhm2OPDo

— Örebro Hockey (@orebrohockey) February 1, 2025

After going scoreless in a three-game opening-round loss to Växjö, Fernstrom was returned to the J20 Nationell team for that league’s postseason and posted seven points (three goals, four assists) in four games.

After the season, Fernstrom trekked to Western Pennsylvania to work out at the Penguins’ facility in Cranberry.

By May 18, he was named rookie of the year in the SHL, then on July 13, he signed his entry-level contract with the Penguins.

The future: In the immediate sense, Fernstrom will likely play in the SHL next season as he is still under contract with Orebro for the 2025-26 season. That will allow his entry-level contract to slide — or begin — to 2026-27.

After a highly productive 2023-24 season at the J20 Nationell level — he posted 63 points (31 goals, 32 assists in 45 games) — Fernstrom was selected in the third round (No. 93 overall) of last year’s draft by the Vancouver Canucks.

Penguins amateur scouts were high on Fernstrom at the time of the draft and when management dealt veteran forward Drew O’Connor as well as defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Canucks in January, they made the case to president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas to get Fernstrom added to the trade.

Fernstrom’s shooting ability is what stands out the most about his overall impressive offensive game. His defense needs some sprucing up but that can come with experience (he just turned 19 on Feb. 28).

It may take a while for him to reach the NHL, but Fernstrom offers plenty of long-term intrigue.