The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed defensemen Zach Trotman and Kevin Czuczman to two-year contracts, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.
The two-way contracts both have an average annual value of $700,000 at the NHL level.
Trotman, 28, has split the past two seasons between Pittsburgh and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. In 2018-19, the defenseman played 13 games through the final stretch of the regular season in Pittsburgh, recording one assist and a plus-four. Prior to his re-call to Pittsburgh in February, Trotman played 24 games for WBS and recorded five points (1G-4A).
“Zach’s role with us last year was definitely not easy. Sometimes a depth defenseman has to sit out for a number of games and is expected to come in and be on top of his game, and he did an excellent job with that,” said assistant general manager Bill Guerin. “He’s extremely dedicated to his strength and conditioning, which paid off for him because he had a big impact on our season this year. We’re excited to have Zach back with us for two more years.”
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound defenseman primarily played with WBS in 2017-18. Trotman recorded seven goals, 10 assists and 17 points in 49 games, while leading WBS in plus-minus with a plus-24. He also skated in three NHL games with Pittsburgh in ’17-18.
A native of Carmel, Indiana, Trotman has played in 83 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Penguins, producing 13 points (3G-10A). In 232 career AHL games, Trotman has recorded 21 goals, 59 assists and 80 points with a plus-28.
Trotman was originally a seventh-round (210th overall) selection by Boston in the 2010 NHL Draft after a three-year collegiate career at Lake Superior State University. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bruins’ organization before making a stop with the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2016-17.
Czuczman, 28, is entering his third season in the Penguins organization. As an alternate captain with WBS during the 2018-19 season, the defenseman recorded four goals, 17 assists and 21 points with a plus-8 in 65 games. Czuczman’s totals ranked second (tied) among WBS defensemen.
“Kevin is a player that has shown his dedication to our organization through his hard work with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the past few years,” assistant general manager Bill Guerin said. “He is capable to play in all situations on the ice and is a true leader for us in Wilkes-Barre. We’re glad to have him back.”
The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Czuczman set career highs with 31 assists and 35 points during his first season with WBS in 2017-18. His 35 assists ranked first among WBS defensemen and third overall on the team.
Czuczman has skated in 336 AHL games with WBS, Manitoba and Bridgeport. In 336 games, the defenseman has recorded 22 goals, 88 assists and 110 points along with 307 penalty minutes.
The Port Elgin, Ontario native has 13 NHL games on his resume, all with the New York Islanders. Czuczman made his NHL debut on March 18, 2014 and has recorded two career assists.
The undrafted defenseman worked his way to a professional contract with a strong collegiate career with Lake Superior State University from 2011-14. Czuczman recorded 14 goals, 31 assists and 45 points in 114 career games with Lake Superior State.
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