Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Young Defenseman Off Waivers

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Graham Montgomery
February 9, 2025  (2:49 PM)

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Photo credit: Utah HC

The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed Utah HC defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok off waivers today while two others were placed on the wire.

Yesterday, the Utah Hockey Club made a somewhat surprising roster move, placing former 2nd round pick Vladislav Kolyachonok on waivers, hoping to send him to the American Hockey League.

This afternoon, those hopes were dashed as the 6'1" blueliner was claimed by an Eastern Conference team.

That team was none other than the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are not exactly known to play young players, so it is a bit of a surprising move.

Kolyachonok has just 62 games of NHL experience, 23 of which has come with Utah this season.

He has a total of 4 goals and 12 points in those games.

That being said, his advanced analytics paint him as a legit defender at the NHL level, so perhaps the Penguins see something in him that Utah doesn't.

This was not the only waivers news today though. In fact, two more players have hit the wire this afternoon.

The LA Kings placed defenseman Andreas Englund on waivers while the Pacific Division rivals Seattle Kraken put Mitchell Stephens in the same boat.

Combined, these two players have appeared in just 36 games this season and they have 4 points between them, 3 of those belonging to Stephens.

Both players are veteran NHL/AHL tweener types, so they are unlikely to get claimed.

That being said, you never know what might happen on the waiver wire. After all, few people around the league were probably expecting Vladislav Kolyachonok to get claimed and yet here we are.

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Previously

Canadian Team Emerges as Frontrunner to Trade for Connor Bedard's Goal-Scoring Linemate

Former 40-Goal Scorer to be Traded by the Detroit Red Wings

Former Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Breaks the Silence on the Controversial Luke Doncic Trade

POLL
FÉVRIER 9   |   289 ANSWERS Pittsburgh Penguins Claim Young Defenseman Off Waivers Do you think either Mitchell Stephens or Andreas Englund will get claimed off of waivers today?
Yes	125	43.3 %
No	164	56.7 %
LIST OF POLLS

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