A 5-Foot-10 Czech Defender Just Got Paid. Here’s Why the Penguins Bet on Him.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have locked up a defenseman who wasn’t even drafted two years ago. Tomas Galvas, a 20-year-old blueliner out of Czechia, signed a three-year entry-level contract on Thursday. The deal carries a $1.01 million average annual cap hit, per PuckPedia, with NHL salaries of $850,000, $900,000 and $950,000 across the three seasons plus signing and performance bonuses.

Galvas was selected 54th overall in the second round of the 2026 NHL Draft. That happened only after he went undrafted in both 2024 and 2025. Then he just went and became one of the best young defensemen in the Czech Extraliga. That’ll get you noticed.

His 2025-26 season was kind of ridiculous

Playing for Bili Tygri Liberec in Czechia’s top league, Galvas put up eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 32 regular-season games. He added one assist in seven playoff games. Among Liberec defensemen, he led the club in goals, assists and points. He finished fifth overall on the team in scoring. Not bad for a guy listed at 5-foot-10 and 168 pounds.

Across the entire Czech Extraliga, Galvas ranked sixth among defensemen in goals and eighth in points. His plus-16 rating was third among all league blueliners and seventh overall. He also led all under-20 defensemen in scoring by a wide margin.

International play sealed the deal

Galvas made noise at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he racked up three goals and six assists for nine points in seven games. Czechia took home the silver medal. He landed on the tournament’s All-Star Team after finishing second among defensemen in points and plus-minus (plus-7) while ranking third in assists. His nine-point tournament matched the production of top prospects Porter Martone and Viggo Bjorck.

He also played eight games for Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, collecting one assist. And he’d helped Czechia win bronze at the 2023 and 2024 World Juniors before that.

What’s next for Galvas

He’s got 113 Czech Extraliga games under his belt across parts of four seasons with Bili Tygri Liberec and HC Olomouc, totaling 13 goals, 29 assists and 42 points. He’s added one assist in 14 career playoff games.

The plan right now is for Galvas to stay on loan with Bili Tygri Liberec for the 2026-27 season. After that, he’ll come over to North America. It’s likely he’ll join the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins once his season in Czechia wraps up.

For a guy nobody drafted two years in a row, he’s come a long way fast.