The Penguins made a number of signings when free agency opened on July 1, but one in particular stood out to Assistant General Manager Jason Spezza.
Signing Atley Calvert to a two-year contract was “close to the heart for me,” Spezza said.
The 22-year-old forward has been on a path similar to the one Avery Hayes is on. They both joined the Penguins organization as undrafted free agents on AHL deals, eventually earning NHL deals with their play and professionalism.
“Really good sign on our program, just being able to really build guys from the minor leagues up,” Spezza said. “Atley has earned his NHL contract, it's a huge moment for him. I think a good signing just for all the guys down in Wilkes, to show the hard work, that as you go, it really pays off.”
Before coming to Pennsylvania, Calvert had spent his entire youth in Saskatchewan, being born and raised in Moose Jaw. His father Jeff had played hockey growing up, including a brief stint with the local Western Hockey League team, the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“I went to all the games as a kid,” Atley said.
It was always Atley’s dream to play for the Warriors as well, with the hometown kid making the team as an undrafted forward. He got to stay at home instead of going to live with a billet family, so there was plenty of comfortability. And Calvert got to pay it forward in the community with kids who love the game.
“Just doing all the minor hockey stuff at home, like, that's what I remember as a kid,” Calvert said. “Them coming out to practice, and you look up to them and whatever. So, being able to do all that - that was pretty cool.”
Calvert spent four total seasons with Moose Jaw from 2020-24, picking up 220 points (105G-115A) in 237 career games. He got onto Pittsburgh’s radar during that time, and the organization invited Calvert to attend their Prospect Development Camp before his penultimate and final seasons with the Warriors.
After Calvert won the WHL championship in the 2023-24 campaign, getting named to the WHL (East) Second All-Star Team that same year after scoring 95 points (47G-48A) in 68 games, the Penguins offered him a two-year AHL deal.
“I was grateful for that opportunity,” Calvert said. “I was really familiar with the staff, and especially the development staff. So, that was one of the major things that I really liked, how TK (Penguins Director of Player Development Tom Kostopoulos) and Butsy (Player Development Coach Chris Butler) and a lot of the staff does it, so that was a major factor.”
Calvert’s first year in the minors, split between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, was quite an adjustment. But Calvert credited former Wheeling Head Coach Derek Army, now with the Colorado Avalanche organization, with helping him learn how to become a pro. Calvert then started to put it all together.
“It was a little bit rough two years ago, and then he just proved that he was better than that level,” said Amanda Kessel, Penguins Director of Minor League Operations and WBS Assistant GM.
Calvert played the second half of 2024-25 with WBS, where he already had familiarity with players and staff from his Development Camps, so the transition was smoother. He built on that in 2025-26, leading WBS in games played (70) and ranking sixth on the team in points (38). After picking up six points (3G-3A) in 15 games in the Calder Cup playoffs, Calvert signed the first NHL contract of his career a few weeks later.
“I knew I had a good year, and I knew that the team had a great year. We made it all the way to the conference finals,” Calvert said. “But yeah, I was super pumped. You don't really you don't really believe it until you see it in front of you, you know what I mean? It was probably the highlight of my summer, to be honest with you.”
Now, Spezza said Calvert has a real chance to become an NHL player.
“He has, really, a lot of pro qualities to his game that I think can translate,” Spezza said. “He's a winger that can play center. He's a bit of a Swiss Army knife for us. So, a guy the coaches really lean on down there in different ways. I think at times maybe it's the short end of the stick offensively because he's so reliable defensively, and in kind of the roles that coaches like to use guys.”
Spezza went on to say that the work has to continue, and Calvert knows that.
“Yeah, it's a new chapter, for sure. So, kind of just take it day by day and see how see how things go and just try and enjoy every day,” Calvert said.
