On Monday, the Penguins signed three junior hockey forwards to AHL contracts: Atley Calvert and Gabe Klassen of the WHL, forwards Jack Beck of the OHL, and both inked two-year deals.
If a player is signed to an AHL contract, they are not considered Pittsburgh property and are not included in the 50-contract cap. Recalling them would need them to agree to a new NHL contract.
Calvert, a 20-year-old center listed at 6 foot and 193 pounds, was a teammate of Brayden Yager‘s on the WHL champion Moose Jaw Warriors. He tied Yager for the second-most points on the Warriors and finished second in goals this season with 47 goals and 48 assists in 68 games. Calvert attended Penguins development camp, the main training camp, and played in the Prospects Challenge as a free agent invite last summer. He attended Sabres development camp the previous summer.
Klassen, who turns 21 this month and is listed at 5 foot 10, 178 pounds, served as the Portland Winterhawks’ captain for the last two seasons. He can play center and wing. He led the team in scoring this year with 35 goals and 71 assists in 67 games — quite the leap from his previous season’s total of 35 goals and 34 assists in 64 games. He attended Hurricanes development camp last summer, and also previously attended the Coyotes’ development camp as a free agent invite.
Beck, 21, is a 6-foot, 180-pound winger who played for the Soo Greyhounds last season. He led the team in scoring with 27 goals and 58 assists in 67 games. Beck was originally a 2021 sixth-round pick of the Flames but went unsigned and became an unrestricted free agent as a result.
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