On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they had signed forward Sam Miletic (Cranbrook, 2015) to a three-year, entry-level contract. The signing makes Miletic the 15th MI-HS alum to earn a contract with an NHL franchise for the 2017-18 season.

As an undrafted free agent, Miletic participated in the Penguins’ rookie tournament and development camp, which earned him a spot at the team’s training camp in September. There, he skated in two preseason games for Pittsburgh and scored a goal in Friday’s exhibition with the Columbus Blue Jackets before earning a contract.

Miletic played three seasons for Cranbrook, scoring 59 goals and 127 points in 62 games, leaving for the USHL after his junior year. He played one season for the Green Bay Gamblers and then moved on to spend two years with the OHL London Knights, peaking in 2016-17 by leading the team with 37 goals in 65 games.

The 20-year-old forward is likely to land with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He would join fellow MI-HS alums Patrick Brown (Cranbrook, 2010), Chris Dienes (Traverse City West, 2010), Michael Downing (Detroit Catholic Central, 2013), Mackenzie MacEachern (Brother Rice, 2012), Gerald Mayhew (Wyandotte Roosevelt, 2011), Andrew Miller (Cranbrook, 2007), and Ben Storm (Calumet, 2012) in the feeder league to the NHL.

We will continue to monitor him and the many other successful MI-HS alumni continuing their playing careers during the 2017-18 hockey season.