Bengtsson Signs with Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Lukas Bengtsson to a two-year, entry-level contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

The two-way contract will begin with the 2016-17 season and runs through the 2017-18 campaign.

Bengtsson, 22, recently helped his Swedish Elite League club, Frolunda, win the championship, contributing seven points (2G-5A) and a plus-7 in 12 postseason contests.

A 5-foot-10, 181-pound righthanded-shooting defenseman, Bengtsson logged his first full season in the SHL with Frolunda in 2015-16, tallying 14 points (7G-7A) and a plus-17 in 30 regular-season contests.

Last year, the Stockholm, Sweden native broke into Sweden’s top professional league with Frolunda during the playoffs, scoring one goal and four points in nine SHL postseason contests.

Before joining Frolunda for the playoffs in 2015, Bengtsson finished his fifth regular season with Mora IK in Sweden’s second division. He recorded the second of his back-to-back 30-point seasons with Mora (’14-15 & ’13-14) while serving as one of his club’s alternate captains as a 21 year old.

Bengtsson helped Sweden win a silver medal at the 2014 World Junior Championship, tallying three points (1G-2A) in seven contests. He was teammates on that squad with current Penguins center Oskar Sundqvist.