The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed free agent defenseman Steve Oleksy to a one-year, two-way contract worth $575,000 at the NHL level.
Oleksy, 29, is a native of Chesterfield, Michigan. He has spent the last three seasons in the Washington Capitals organization, splitting time between the Capitals and their top farm club, the Hershey Bears.
Over the last three seasons, he’s played in 62 games for the Capitals, scoring three goals and recording 16 assists. He also appeared in seven NHL playoff games in 2012-13, when he had one assists.
Oleksy checks in at 6-foot, 190 pounds and is a right-handed shot. He is a defensive defenseman, and has a willingness to drop the gloves as well. He was second on the Bears with 171 penalty minutes in 2014-15.
For the 2015-16 season, expect Oleksy to be a stalwart on the blueline in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with the potential for a call-up high, depending on Pittsburgh’s needs on the back end.
Oleksy took a long road to the NHL, with minor league stops in Bridgeport, Cleveland (AHL), Boise, Toledo, Las Vegas (ECHL) and Port Huron (IHL) before catching on with the Capitals. He played collegiately at Lake Superior State University.
Photo credit: NHLI/Getty Images
