Chase Pietila of Howell drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins in fourth round

HOWELL — Chase Pietila of Howell spent one of the biggest days of his hockey career on the golf course.

The last place he wanted to be Saturday was sitting in his living room glued to the television, possibly all day, as name after name was announced during the NHL Draft in Las Vegas.

So, he and his brother headed to Ironwood Golf Club in Howell for a nice diversion, only to have the round interrupted by an important call that brought hockey back to the forefront.

“I was just keeping my mind off it,” Pietila said. “My advisor texted me early in the morning that we were expecting rounds five through seven. I wasn’t really paying attention. I got a call from him and my heart kind of dropped. He told me Pittsburgh just drafted me in the fourth round. I was stoked.”

The Penguins chose Pietila, who is entering his sophomore season as a defenseman at Michigan Tech, with the 14th pick of the fourth round, the 111th overall. There were 225 players selected in the seven-round draft.

Pietila is the highest NHL draft pick from Livingston County since current Minnesota Wild defenseman Jon Merrill of Brighton was chosen in the second round, 38th overall, by New Jersey in 2010.

He had no clue the Penguins were interested in drafting him, but Pittsburgh was keeping its interest in him quiet on purpose.

“I talked to Toronto and Tampa the most,” Pietila said. “Pittsburgh never called me once. I was surprised when they drafted me. When the (general manager) called after they picked me, he said, ‘We didn’t talk to you as soon as we knew we wanted you.’ They wanted to keep me under the radar and try to sneak me in in the early rounds. He told his people, ‘Don’t talk to Chase, don’t talk to Chase. Don’t talk to his advisor. We don’t want anybody to know we’re going to draft him.’”

Unlike NFL and NBA draft picks, most players selected by NHL teams don’t turn pro right away. The Penguins have Pietila’s rights throughout his remaining three years of college. Pittsburgh could offer him a chance to turn pro at any point during those three years.

This was Pietila’s third and final year of draft eligibility. Players who aren’t drafted by the age of 20 can sign with pro teams as undrafted free agents.

He went into the draft ranked 108th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Central Scouting has separate rankings for North American skaters and goalies and international skaters and goalies.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, because it’s not that common for your third year of eligibility,” said Pietila, who attended Hartland High School as a freshman and sophomore before moving to Lincoln, Neb. to play in the United States Hockey League. “They obviously want to take more risks on younger guys who could have more potential, per se.

“My first year, for sure I knew I wasn’t going to get drafted. Last year, I had a pretty good year and won the (USHL's) Clark Cup. I talked to a few teams and thought, ‘Oh, maybe.’ I thought my chances were pretty low. Obviously, it didn’t happen. This year was my biggest chance, like I have a decent shot at it.”

Pietila was the fourth-leading scorer for Michigan Tech, scoring three goals and a team-high 19 assists while playing in all 40 games. He ranked eighth nationally among freshman defensemen in assists and led the NCAA in penalty minutes by a freshman with 60.

“I thought it went really well,” Pietila said. “I’m really happy with how it went. Whenever they put me in a huge role, I feel I fit in pretty well. I would say I’m a two-way defenseman that plays with some tenacity and some grit and kind of stirs things up. I can add offense when needed.”

Pietila played at Tech with brothers Blake and Logan and cousin Jed. He will head to the Penguins’ development camp July 6-10 in Cranberry, Pa. with Logan, who has signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League affiliate , the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

“It’s pretty cool to experience with your brother,” Pietila said. “It will be fun, for sure.”

Pietila is the first Livingston County player selected in the NHL Draft in five years. Defenseman Hunter Skinner of Pinckney was a fourth-round pick, 111th overall, of the New York Rangers in 2019. In that same draft, goalie Logan Neaton of Brighton was a fifth-round pick, 144th overall, of the Winnipeg Jets .

Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Chase Pietila of Howell drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins in fourth round