Sunrise, Fla. – Florida Panthers Director of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has acquired defenseman Emil Pieniemi from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the rights to forward Oliver O’Criar.
Pieniemi, 21, appeared in nine games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) throughout the 2025-26 season, scoring three points (1 win, 2 losses, 3 draws). He played in two games in the postseason contest with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and recorded an assist. Pieniemi also had 11 points in 26 games with the ECHL Wheeling Nailers (6-5-11). He paced every Wheeling defenseman in points (1-7-8) through 15 Kelly Cup playoff games.
The 6-foot-2, 176-pound native of Kuopio, Finland, appeared in 39 games for Karpat of the Finnish Pro League (Liga) from 2022-23 to 2023-24. He won a Liga bronze medal with Karpat in his second season with the club.
On the international stage, Pieniemi represented Finland at the 2023 IIHF U18 World Championship and 2024 IIHF U20 World Championship, and won a silver medal at the 2025 IIHF U20 World Championship.
Pieniemi was originally selected by the Penguins in the third round (91st overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.
