Former Penn State hockey star Nikita Pavlychev has agreed to a one-year contract with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL for the 2020-2021 season.
The Crunch are the AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 6-foot-8 center was originally drafted by the Penguins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, but signed with the Crunch after not being able to agree to a deal with the Penguins.
“Pav has proven to be a scoring threat and there was definitely not a harder forward to play against in the entire NCAA,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said in a statement.