Penguins sign defensive prospect Peyton Kettles

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed defenseman Peyton Kettles to a three-year entry-level contract Monday.

Financial terms of the deal were not announced.

Kettles was a second-round draft pick (No. 39 overall) in June.

The right-handed defenseman will presumably miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder on Friday. The timeframe for recovery is six to seven months.

Kettles, 18, attended the Penguins’ training camp in September, but an undisclosed injury limited his participation and lingered until October. It is not publicly known if that injury is related to his surgically repaired shoulder.

Limited to five games in the Western Hockey League between the Swift Current Broncos and Kelowna Rockets, Kettles has scored three points (one goal, two assists).

Last season, Kettles skated in 53 games for Swift Current and posted 14 points (five goals, nine assists).

Given his dimensions, Kettles (6-foot-6, 196 pounds) largely offers a physical brand of defense.

“Don’t want anybody to come to my corner,” Kettles said during the Penguins’ development camp in July. “Want (them) to be scared to play against me. … Just always be physical, always be in guys’ faces.

“I try to be as physical as I can during games on other top players.”