Pittsburgh has completed a player exchange with Florida, trading defenseman Emil Pieniniemi to the Panthers in return for forward Oliver Okuliar.
The 26-year-old Okuliar spent last season with Skelleftea AIK in Sweden’s top professional hockey league, where he tallied 15 goals and 14 assists across 46 regular season contests. In playoff action, he shared the league lead with six goals and contributed to his team’s championship victory.
Most recently during the 2024-25 campaign, Okuliar suited up for the Charlotte Checkers in the American Hockey League, where he accumulated 19 goals and 22 assists over 69 games.
The departing Pieniniemi, age 21, was selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He appeared in nine games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season, contributing three points.
