The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #50 in Penguins’ history.
There have only been two players who have worn #50, and one of those players – goaltender Martin Brochu – only played in nine NHL games with meagher results.
So, this one goes to recent Penguins’ defenseman Juuso Riikola.
© Charles LeClaire – Imagn Images
Riikola played in Pittsburgh from 2019-22. Hailing from Joensuu, Finland, Riikola went undrafted and made his NHL debut on October 11, 2018. He ended up playing in 80 games for the Penguins across four seasons, registering a total of three goals and 13 points.
He scored his first NHL goal against Vancouver in 2018, and his heavy slap shot became a staple for him.
Riikola even spent some time playing as a forward because of injuries in 2019-20. He had some good underlying numbers and was a pretty popular player among the fan base, but he never quite put it all together – or had much of an extended opportunity – at the NHL level.
Riikola recently signed a long-term extension with the SCL Tigers in Switzerland. His four seasons spent with the Penguins account for his entire NHL career up to this point.
