Penguins A to Z: Emil Pieniniemi looks ready to make another jump

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.)

Emil Pieniniemi

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 20

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 177 pounds

2024-25 OHL regular season statistics: 60 games, 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists)

2024-25 OHL postseason statistics: 11 games, 10 points (four goals, six assists)

Contract: Entering the first year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $806,666. Pending restricted free agent in 2028.

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

Acquired: Third-round draft pick (No. 91 overall), June 29, 2023

This season: After getting used to playing against grown men in the professional league of his native Finland throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Emil Pieniniemi made the jump to this continent to get adjusted to playing in North America with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kingston Frontenacs, who selected him with the 10th overall selection in the import draft of the Canadian Hockey League (the umbrella organization that oversees the three major junior leagues in that country).

Opening the season on the right side of the Frontenacs’ top pairing and seeing some power-play time, Pieniniemi did not require much time to adjust to his new surroundings as he posted nine points (two goals, seven assists) in his first six games.

HE'S ON THE BOARD FOLKS! ????

Emil Pieniniemi gets his first @OHLHockey goal off a seeing eye shot from the point! #SolidGold | @penguins | #LetsGoPens https://t.co/Vivjwj1Y6X pic.twitter.com/fYM8HCTOaw

— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) October 4, 2024

Pieniniemi largely maintained a point-per-game pace through mid-December when he left the team to play for Finland in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Junior Championship tournament.

Helping Finland claim the silver medal, Pieniniemi collected three points (two goals, one assist) in six games.

????Emil Pieniniemi gets Finland's first of the #WorldJuniors ????#GERFIN #IIHF @leijonat pic.twitter.com/FmU7kpKb3T

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) December 27, 2024

Rejoining the Frontenacs on Jan. 10, Pieniniemi appeared in 28 of the team’s final 31 games, posting 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) and helping Kingston finish in third place of the Eastern Conference.

The Finnish Connection kicks things off! ????????

Tuomas Uronen finds Emil Pieniniemi all alone and he fires it home!@penguins | #LetsGoPens https://t.co/EHKefnau49 pic.twitter.com/9wtDaxIaJh

— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) March 12, 2025

In the postseason, Pieniniemi was fairly quiet, contributing a single assist in a four-game sweep of the Sudbury Wolves. By the second round, despite Pieniniemi racking up an ample nine points (four goals, five assists), the Frontenacs fell in seven games to the Barrie Colts.

EMIL PIENINIEMI DRIVES THE NET AND OPENS THE SCORING @penguins | #LetsGoPens https://t.co/j3F16q2FlL pic.twitter.com/40Ntjy7b3P

— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) April 22, 2025

The future: Pieniniemi turned 20 on March 2 and will be beginning his professional career in North America next season, either with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins or the Wheeling Nailers.

There’s plenty to be intrigued with. He has all the base skating and puck skills to drive offense in the modern professional game. And while he’s not the most physical player, he’s strong enough to use his body as a positionally sound defender. And with a 6-foot-2 frame, he has a fairly long reach to break up attacking sequences.

After two mostly successful seasons in which he moved up to different levels of the sport, Pieniniemi looks ready to make another jump in 2025-26.