The Penguins on Sunday added more organizational depth, signing a trio of free agents who will likely start the season in the American Hockey League.
One is a familiar face. Radim Zohorna is back in Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-6 forward signed a one-year contract with a $775,000 value at the NHL level.
Zohorna, 27, spent two years with the Pittsburgh organization. He played 25 total games in the NHL from 2020-22, tallying four goals and 10 points. He did not make the NHL club out of training camp last fall, was claimed by Calgary off waivers and finished the season in Toronto. He mostly played in the AHL.
In addition to Zohorna, the Penguins signed forward Marc Johnstone to a two-year deal and brought in goalie Magnus Hellberg on a one-year pact. Hellberg would make $785,000 at the NHL level. Johnstone would earn $775,000.
President of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said Saturday that he wanted to sign one more goalie to compete with Casey DeSmith and Alex Nedeljkovic for their backup job. That ended up being Hellberg, a 32-year-old journeyman.
Hellberg has suited up for five NHL organizations over the past decade, in addition to stints in the Kontinental Hockey League over in Russia. He split last season among three NHL franchises – Seattle, Ottawa and Detroit. In 23 career NHL games, he has gone 7-8-1 with a subpar .886 save percentage.
Johnstone, 27, spent all of the 2022-23 season with Toronto’s AHL affiliate. The 6-foot, 181-pound forward had nine goals and 22 points in 69 games. He has never appeared in an NHL game.
Matt Vensel: mvensel@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mattvensel.
First Published: July 2, 2023, 3:15 p.m.