The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that they’ve signed Teddy Blueger to a two-year entry-level contract. The team announced the signing via their official Twitter.
The #Pens have signed forward Teddy Blueger to a two-year, entry-level contract. Details: https://t.co/RpmVVqChul pic.twitter.com/pLKul9cuHj
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 22, 2016
Blueger was drafted with the Penguins’ second round pick (52nd overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. As the official release mentions, he was the third selection for the Penguins that year, having drafted both Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta in the first round.
Blueger stands 6-feet tall and weighs roughly 185-pounds, and tends to play a fairly physical game. His scouting report is below, courtesy of Hockey’s Future.
Blueger is a Latvian forward who has played in North America since he was 14. He is a skilled, two-way player who possesses a great hockey IQ. He also plays with a fair amount of physical flair, and is not afraid to get dirty in the corners or down low. He is also very good at faceoffs. Physically, Blueger must continue to get stronger, but he has added a fair amount of strength since he was drafted in 2012. His skating is by no means a red flag but upgrading his explosiveness would make him a significantly greater threat offensively.
Through four years at Minnesota State University, Blueger tallied 31 goals and 108 total points in 155 games. It’s worth noting that if he didn’t sign with the Penguins prior to June 1, he would have entered unrestricted free agency and had the option to sign with any team. We’ve seen similar situations in the past with current Pittsburgh defenseman Justin Schultz and most recently, Mike Reilly of the Minnesota Wild.
Blueger will join the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout contract through the remainder of the season and postseason. His entry-level contract with Pittsburgh will kick in for the 2016-17 season, running through 2017-18.