Penguins sign Finnish D Riikola

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Finnish defenseman Juuso Riikola to a one-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.

The 24-year-old Riikola had two assists in eight games for Finland at the 2018 IIHF World Championships in Denmark this month. Finland was eliminated on Thursday after a 3-2 loss to Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

Riikola has spent the past six seasons with KalPa Kuopio of Finland's top-level league, SM-liiga.

The left-handed shooting Riikola played 59 games each of the last two seasons, averaging seven goals and 17.5 assists.

The Penguins were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six games by the Washington Capitals.

--Field Level Media

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