Penguins

Prospects Pavlychev, Jones hit free agency

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Nikita Pavlychev. -- MARK SELDERS, PENN STATE ATHLETICS

The deadline to sign drafted college prospects who graduated this spring was at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and two Penguins prospects went unsigned and are now unrestricted free agents.

Penn State forward Nikita Pavlychev, the Penguins' 2015 seventh-round pick, and Nebraska-Omaha defenseman Ryan Jones, the Penguins' 2016 fourth-round pick, are now free to sign with any team.

Pavlychev, 23, was offered an AHL-level contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but did not accept, as Dave Molinari reported in a Friday Insider.

“We’d like him to stay with us,” a Penguins source said of Pavlychev. “But being that it’s taken this long, he may go a different route.”

Pavlychev, 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, scored seven goals and seven assists in 27 games in his senior season at Penn State.

Jones, 24, is a shutdown defenseman, and recorded a total of four goals and 38 assists in 141 games over his four collegiate seasons. He was an alternate captain in his senior season.

The only other Penguins prospect who was a graduating senior is Will Reilly, a defenseman out of RPI who was a 2017 seventh-round pick. He was signed to an entry-level contract back in April.

A number of college seniors drafted by other organizations also hit free agency on Saturday:

Arizona
D - Dean Stewart - Nebraska-Omaha, 2016 seventh round

Boston
D - Cam Clarke - Ferris State, 2016 fifth round (signed an ECHL contract with Wichita)

Carolina
F - Matt Filipe - Northeastern, 2016 third round
D - Luke Martin - U. of Michigan, 2017 second round
F - Luke Stevens - Yale, 2015 fifth round
F - Max Zimmer - Wisconsin, 2016 fourth round

Chicago
D - Ryan Shea - Northeastern, 2015 fourth round

Colorado
F - Cam Morrison - Notre Dame, 2016 second round
F - Denis Smirnov - Penn State, 2017 sixth round

Columbus
F - Carson Mayer - Ohio State, 2017 sixth round

Edmonton
F - Graham McPhee - Boston College, 2016 fifth round

Florida
F - Karch Bachman - Miami-Ohio, 2015 fifth round
F - Miguel Fidler - Ohio State, 2014 fourth round
D - Benjamin Finkelstein - Boston College, 2016 seventh round
F - Patrick Shea - Maine, 2015 seventh round

New York Islanders
F - Nick Pastujov - U. of Michigan, 2016 seventh round

Ottawa
F - Christopher Wilkie - Colorado College, 2015 sixth round

San Jose
D - Karlis Cukste - Quinnipiac, 2015 fifth round

Tampa Bay
D - Ryan Zuhlsdorf - U. of Minnesota, 2015 fifth round

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