Penguins sign defenseman Phil Kemp to two-year contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Phil Kemp to a two-year contract that carries a $775,000 average annual value.

Through 56 appearances last season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors – the farm club of the Edmonton Oilers – Kemp collected seven goals and five assists for 12 points combined with 39 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating. In all, the 26-year-old native of Greenwich, Conn., has spent part of five seasons at the AHL level where through 258 career contests he has tallied 18 goals and 40 assists for 58 points. With Bakersfield in 2022-23, Kemp set a career high of 21 points counting six goals and 15 assists coming in 71 games.

During the 2023-34 campaign, Kemp made his NHL debut with the Oilers in an overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens in which he was limited to just over two minutes of ice time.

Prior to joining the pro ranks, Kemp spent three seasons with the NCAA’s Yale Bulldogs where through 88 career contests he registered nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points. In his final season, Kemp posted a career-best 11 points counting three goals and eight assists with 10 penalty minutes and a plus-four mark coming in 32 games. Following his time with the Bulldogs, Kemp played on loan in Sweden with the Vasby IK, putting up 11 points in 32 games in the second-tier league.

Kemp has also seen success in international competition as he helped the American squad to a silver-medal finish at the 2019 World Juniors. The journeyman rearguard also joined the U.S. at the 2017 IIHF Under-18 World Championship that saw him put up two points in seven appearances en route to the gold medal.

Kemp was originally chosen by the Oilers in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft.