The Penguins took their first defenseman of this draft class with the latter of their two second-round picks on Saturday, selecting Tomas Galvas out of Czechia with pick No. 54.
Galvas, 20, went undrafted in his first two years of eligibility, in part due to his size at 5 foot 10 and 168 pounds. He's a two-way, mobile defenseman who had a breakout year offensively this year, putting him into draft conversations for the early rounds despite his smaller size.
Galvas recorded 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 32 games, a leap from his 2024-25 totals of 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 43 games, and his first-year eligibility totals of seven points (two goals, five assists) in 32 games, all three seasons with Bílí Tygři Liberec of the top Czech league.
Galvas represented Czechia in both the World Junior Championship and senior World Championship this season, recording nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games in the junior tournament as Czechia won silver, and one assist in eight games in the main World Championship.
Elite Prospects describes Galvas as "extremely quick in a straight line, but he also brings great four-way mobility and agility with and without the puck. He’s at his best as a transition player, killing attacks and quickly turning up the other way." In the various major rankings coming into this draft, he was ranked as high as 46th overall by both Sportsnet and The Hockey News.
Galvas is under contract with his Czech team for two more seasons, though those contracts often allow a player to get out of the deal if there's an opportunity to move to North America.
THE ASYLUM
Penguins add defenseman Galvas
The Penguins took their first defenseman of this draft class with the latter of their two second-round picks on Saturday, selecting Tomas Galvas out of Czechia with pick No. 54.
Galvas, 20, went undrafted in his first two years of eligibility, in part due to his size at 5 foot 10 and 168 pounds. He's a two-way, mobile defenseman who had a breakout year offensively this year, putting him into draft conversations for the early rounds despite his smaller size.
Galvas recorded 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 32 games, a leap from his 2024-25 totals of 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 43 games, and his first-year eligibility totals of seven points (two goals, five assists) in 32 games, all three seasons with Bílí Tygři Liberec of the top Czech league.
Galvas represented Czechia in both the World Junior Championship and senior World Championship this season, recording nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games in the junior tournament as Czechia won silver, and one assist in eight games in the main World Championship.
Elite Prospects describes Galvas as "extremely quick in a straight line, but he also brings great four-way mobility and agility with and without the puck. He’s at his best as a transition player, killing attacks and quickly turning up the other way." In the various major rankings coming into this draft, he was ranked as high as 46th overall by both Sportsnet and The Hockey News.
Galvas is under contract with his Czech team for two more seasons, though those contracts often allow a player to get out of the deal if there's an opportunity to move to North America.
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