When Declan Carlile signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh on the first day of free agency, his family was thrilled.
Mostly because the 26-year-old defenseman is living his dream and being rewarded after a strong 2025-26 campaign.
But they are also pretty excited to have a use for all of the Penguins gear around their house.
“My parents were like, we don't even need to buy anything. We have so many hats and hoodies and things from growing up!” Carlile said. “It was pretty funny.”
Declan’s dad Kevin is from Ontario and served in the Canadian Air Force. His mom Tina was in the U.S. Army. They met during joint training in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, got married and started a family, raising Declan and his two brothers Kiernan and Owen in a town called Hartland in the Lower Peninsula.
With Kevin’s Canadian roots, he introduced his sons to hockey, where they grew their love for the game on a backyard rink. They had several Ontario Hockey League teams within driving distance, so Kevin would take them to games to watch up-and-coming prospects. But despite being about an hour from Detroit, the Red Wings weren’t their favorite National Hockey League club.
“Kiernan was a huge Penguins fan growing up,” Declan said. “We used to drive out here to watch games when we were young. I remember coming in and seeing the bridge and just kind of being around the arena.
“And then obviously, we'd go to Detroit games with Penguins jerseys on, so that was never good for us [laughs]. My fiancé posted one when I signed here. There's actually one hanging up in my basement at home. We were watching them when I was, like, little little. It’s kind of a cool full-circle moment.”
One of the biggest reasons the Carlile boys loved the Penguins was of course, Sidney Crosby.
“When he scored the Golden Goal, I was 10. That was cool. When I watched them win the Cup in ‘09, my dad set up a projector screen in our living room,” Declan said. “Kiernan ended up falling asleep when they won, lifting the Cup. And I remember we had to wake him up, and he was all pumped up, and he fell right back to sleep. Those were just some small things that were pretty funny.”
Their younger selves would be ecstatic to know that Declan would one day become teammates with the likes of Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It was an added bonus of joining the Penguins after Carlile spent the first five years of his professional career with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.
The Bolts had signed Carlile as an undrafted free agent out of Merrimack College. Before last season, he played primarily in the American Hockey League with the Syracuse Crunch.
“Obviously, I wanted to make it to the NHL, but I knew that there were steps to take before I got there,” Carlile said. “I think I just went in with an open mind and tried to learn every day. I think they really preached that in Tampa, which is cool. The staff down in Syracuse. (Head Coach) Joel Bouchard, he pushes you, but in a good way. It makes you want to come in every day and do well.”
That handful of years Carlile spent growing and developing left him ready to seize his opportunity when it presented itself early last season. The Lightning had an influx of injuries on the blue line, and needed someone to step in and step up. Carlile did, saying he had built trust and confidence in himself and his game. From there, he never looked back.
“He's the classic case of a kid that (was) unheralded, not too many people knew about, and he just worked and worked and worked,” Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said in this feature.
"I’ve watched draft picks and people come in and guys get deflated, and maybe the call-up doesn't come or they don't like the league they're in. But then there's some kids that come in and say, ‘Screw it, I'm just gonna do whatever it takes, and I'm gonna work my tail off ’til somebody notices me. And if my career ends and nobody notices me, I know I can look in the mirror and say I did my best.’ And that's what this kid's done, and he's been noticed.”
Carlile certainly caught the Penguins' attention, with President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas saying they were impressed by how he helped Tampa stay in the playoff race.
“That gave us even more conviction why we feel that he can come and be an addition here for us,” Dubas said.
Both Dubas and Carlile feel that he can continue to build on the foundation established at the NHL level last season here in Pittsburgh.
“I just hope to bring consistency every night,” Carlile said. “I think I bring some physicality to my game and some jam, especially in the D zone and stuff. So, being able to pair that with some aspects of my game, like joining the rush, I think it'll be some more opportunity here than what I've had in the past. So, I'm excited to get going."
