Penguins sign Oliver Okuliar to one-year contract

One of the new faces in the Keystone State has a new contract.

On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that the team has signed forward Oliver Okuliar to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2026-27 season.

The Penguins acquired Okuliar’s signing rights from the Florida Panthers via trade this past Saturday, which saw Pittsburgh send Emil Pieniniemi back to the Panthers.

This is just the second NHL contract the Trencin, Slovakia native has signed, which he signed with the Panthers in April 2024. He spent the 2024-25 season with the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He scored a solid 19 goals and 41 points in 69 regular-season games, posting another eight points as the Checkers reached the Calder Cup Final, ultimately losing to the Abbotsford Canucks in the final.

However, the undrafted winger elected to return to Europe, signing with Skelleftea of the Swedish Hockey League. The move proved beneficial for him, as he scored 15 goals and 29 points in 46 games during the regular season, notching another six goals and 13 points in the playoffs, scoring the clinching goal as Skelleftea won the league championship.

In addition to a fruitful pro season, Okuliar had the chance to play on the world stage a couple of times. He was named to Slovakia’s roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, scoring a goal and an assist in six games. He was part of the team that finished atop Group B and made it all the way to the bronze medal game, losing to Finland. He also represented his country at the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, scoring two goals and five points in seven games, though Slovakia failed to reach the quarterfinals.