Continued Growth Earns Pietila First NHL Call-Up

When Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s practice wrapped up yesterday, Chase Pietila got word that Head Coach Kirk MacDonald wanted to have a chat with him. MacDonald made sure Pietila would never forget the moment that he got his first recall to the NHL.

“It was actually funny,” Pietila said. “(MacDonald) goes, ‘Hey, you just got traded.’ And I was like, ‘Wait, what?! Actually? I like it here!’ And then he goes, ‘No, you're getting called up [laughs].’”

What makes this recall so deserved for Pietila is how he's developed within the Penguins organization over the past two seasons, and how he performed at training camp.

“He's a guy who, based on his play in camp, probably deserved a little bit more than he got in terms of like actual playing time in those exhibition games,” Head Coach Dan Muse said. “He had an outstanding camp, and then he's continued that outstanding camp by having a really good start down in Wilkes, and so those are factors that led to the decision.”

Drafted by the Penguins in 2024 (111^th overall), Pietila signed his entry-level contract with the organization on March 9, 2025, after playing two seasons with Michigan Tech in the NCAA. Since then, Pietila has served as a major contributor to the blue line for WBS.

“I have nothing but praise for him,” said Rutger McGroarty, who was also recalled on Thursday. “I've talked a lot about him and how he stepped up for us a lot last year. I think that he's an incredible person, and he's a guy that trusts the process. I'm just so happy that he's getting this opportunity, and he's going to run with it, so it's super exciting.”

Initially joining the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers at the end of the 2024-25 season, Pietila showed continued improvement and earned a full-time role with Wilkes-Barre last year, suiting up for 66 games. He played in an additional 14 Calder Cup Playoffs games for the Penguins, who made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.

While he is only 22 years old, Pietila has “trusted the process” in terms of how he has been able to work his way up to get to the NHL.

“I think I've grown a lot,” Pietila said. “I mean, I think with all the coaching staff and stuff down there, I think I took some big steps in the summer working with the training staff and all that. So, I think I just put on some weight and was able to kind of clear my feet and just kind of learn and just develop the little skills to get here.”

While earning his call-up to the NHL is a moment that he won’t ever forget, the next step is stepping on an NHL rink for the first time in the black and gold. When that time does come, the 6-2, 202-pound defenseman will bring a brand of physical, hard-to-play-against hockey.

“I mean, it's a dream come true,” Pietila said. “I feel like you kind of just wait around to kind of see when it's your chance, and I feel like when I got that call, I didn't really know how to act, but it was good. It was exciting. All the teammates were fired up for me, so it was good to come up here and be up here with guys and stuff. I'm enjoying it.”