Penguins sign Melvin Fernstrom to three-year, entry-level contract

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Friday they had signed forward Melvin Fernstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The 19-year-old Fernstrom spent the 2024-25 season with Orebro HK of the Swedish Hockey League, scoring eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 48 games. Fernstrom was named the 2025 SHL Rookie of the Year.

In 12 games with Orebro HK’s Under-20 team, he scored 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points. Over three seasons with the junior squad, Fernstrom had 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points and a plus-33 rating. He also appeared in 13 playoff games, scoring eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.

In 2023-24, Fernstrom led the junior league with 31 goals, helping his team earn a silver medal in the league championship.

A native of Balsta, Sweden, Fernstrom has represented the international stage, earning a bronze at the Under-18 World Championship, recording three goals and five assists for eight points in seven games. He also appeared in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring three goals and two assists for five points in four games.

The Vancouver Canucks drafted Fernstrom in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Penguins in a trade last January.

The Penguins went 34-36-12 with 80 points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division. It was the third straight season that Pittsburgh missed the playoffs, and the first time they had done that during the Sidney Crosby era.

As for Crosby, he led the team in both assists and points with 58 and 91, respectively, to go along with 33 goals. Rickard Rakell led the Penguins with 35 goals to go along with 35 assists for 70 points, which ranked second on the team. Bryan Rust finished the year with 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points.