Penguins yield NHL rights to pair of defensive prospects
The Pittsburgh Penguins yielded the NHL rights to two of their prospects Thursday, defensemen Santeri Airola and Ryan McCleary.
Per NHL rules, the deadline for the Penguins to retain both players was 5 p.m. A team spokesperson confirmed the decison to not sign either player. They were part of a large group of players leaguewide who had their NHL rights expire Thursday.
The 22-year-old Airola (5-foot-11, 163 pounds), was a seventh-round pick (No. 211 overall) in 2019. Airola, 22, split the 2022-23 season with three teams in his native Finland.
In Finland’s top-tier league, the Liiga, Airola, a right-handed shot, played in 10 games and recorded seven assists with SaiPa. He also played in five games with Ilves of the Liiga and did not record a point.
The bulk of Airola’s season was spent with KOOVEE of Finland’s second-tier Metsis league. In 29 games with Metsis, Airola posted 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
McCleary, 19, was a seventh-round pick (No. 194 overall) in 2021. A right-handed shot, McCleary (6-foot-3, 177 pounds) spent the past three seasons at the junior level with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. In 2022-23, McCleary appeared 66 games and scored 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists).
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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