Tristan Broz, a promising prospect of the Pittsburgh Penguins, turned pro Saturday, inking a three-year entry-level contract with the club.
Broz, 21, will join the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the remainder of their season on an amateur tryout contract (ATO).
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays one more regular-season game before the Calder Cup playoffs begin next week.
The 6-foot, 190-pound forward just capped his junior season at the University of Denver, which he helped to a national championship, scoring two game-winning overtime goals during the Pioneers’ tournament journey, including in the Frozen Four against Boston.
DENVER TO THE SHIP!!!!!!!!!
???? ESPN2#MFrozenFour x @DU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/h8IbLJP8HY
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) April 12, 2024
This season, he contributed a career-high 16 goals and 24 assists in 43 games for the Pioneers.
He was selected by the Penguins in the second round (58th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
The Penguins, as a result of a trade with the Minnesota Wild in 2020 that brought winger Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh, did not have a first-round pick in the 2021 draft, with Broz being the club’s initial selection that year.
Broz was an attendee at the Penguins’ summer development camp last year and is an alumni of U.S. Hockey’s Fargo Force, putting up 34 goals and 56 assists in 108 career games.
Before transferring to Denver, he played his freshman hockey campaign at Minnesota.
Through three collegiate seasons, Broz has 32 goals and 47 assists in 119 games.
Notes: Defenseman Isaac Belliveau and forward Evan Vierling were reassigned from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL Saturday. … Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jesse Puljujarvi joined Finland’s A national team roster for the Euro Hockey Tour (EHT) tournament to be played in Czechia from May 2-5. Czechia, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland face off in the EHT, which precedes the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship (also being played in Czechia) from May 10-26. Puljujarvi played 22 games for the Penguins this season primarily in a bottom-six role, scoring three goals with an assist in 9:11 of nightly ice time. … Defenseman Ryan Shea, placed on waivers by the Penguins earlier this week, cleared Friday and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Saturday in advance of the Calder Cup playoffs. Fellow defenseman Jack St. Ivany and forwards Valtteri Puustinen and Radim Zohorna were also recently assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the postseason.
