Penguins A to Z: Chase Pietila understands what can get him to the NHL

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 57 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.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 24, four days 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.)

Chase Pietila

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 21

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 190 pounds

2024-25 AHL statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)

2024-25 ECHL regular season statistics: Nine games, three points (zero goals, three assists)

2024-25 ECHL postseason statistics: Five games, two points (zero goals, two assists)

2024-25 NCAA statistics: 36 games, 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists)

Contract: Entering the first year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $860,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2028.

(Pieniniemi is exempt from waivers for any assignment to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: Fourth-round draft pick (No. 111 overall), June 29, 2024

This season: After being drafted by the Penguins last summer, Chase Pietila opened his sophomore season at Michigan Tech by being anointed as an alternate captain.

Skating on the right side of the Huskies’ second pairing, Pietila wasted little time making an impact as he recorded points (two goals, two assists) in each of his first four games of the season.

Chase Pietila buries his 1st of the season for a 2-0 lead! #mtuhky #FollowTheHuskies pic.twitter.com/0E6K6ZyEtq

— Michigan Tech Hockey (@mtuhky) October 12, 2024

The high point of Pietila’s season — offensively, at least — came during a 3-2 road win against Ferris State on Nov. 8 when he posted a goal and an assist.

Chase Pietila buried his 3rd of the season to tie the game in the 2nd period! #mtuhky #FollowTheHuskies pic.twitter.com/y9f5mxmKbm

— Michigan Tech Hockey (@mtuhky) November 9, 2024

Then between Dec. 12 and Jan. 10, he managed to cobble together a seven-game assist streak.

Defense is Pietila’s calling card, however, and that attribute of his game was so sharp, he was selected as defensive defenseman of the season by his school’s conference, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

After Michigan Tech was eliminated by Bowling Green in the quarterfinal round of the CCHA’s Mason Cup tournament, Pietila opted to turn professional and signed his NHL entry-level contract March 9.

Five days later, he signed a professional tryout contract (PTO) with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Pietila bounced between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling (ECHL) for the remainder of the regular season. Once the postseason opened, Pietila found himself on the right side of Wheeling’s top pairing and recorded two assists during a first-round series against the Norfolk Admirals.

The future: At previous levels — including as a junior with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United State Hockey League — Pietila used to post somewhat prolific offensive figures. But by his own admission, he realized he would need to lean on defense to get to the next level.

Defense will be Pietila’s route to the NHL. Positionally sound, Pietila isn’t an overly physical player but can be “clingy” as a nuisance to attacking opponents.

After two strong seasons in the NCAA ranks, Pietila begins his professional career understanding what can get him to the ultimate level.