Penguins Targeting Free-Agent Defenseman St. Ivany

The Pittsburgh Penguins let one defense prospect walk Monday, when they didn’t sign Clayton Phillips, a third-round draft choice in 2017, but are hoping to pick up another soon.

They are among the clubs trying to sign former Boston College and Yale defenseman Jack St. Ivany, who became an unrestricted free agent when he didn’t sign with Philadelphia by the deadline Monday.

St. Ivany, 23, was the Flyers’ fourth-round draft choice in 2018, when Ron Hextall was GM.

He is a 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and a right-hand shot.

St. Ivany, a native of Manhattan Beach, Calif., had four goals and 20 assists in 35 games at Boston College last season.

He began his college career at Yale, but transferred to BC after two years when the 2020-21 Ivy League season was canceled because of the pandemic.

Some reports out of Philadelphia suggested the Flyers declined to sign him because they have a limited number of contracts to give before reaching the allowable maximum of 50, as well as a number of defense prospects who ranked ahead of St. Ivany on their organizational depth chart.

Phillips was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third-round draft choice in 2017, but they declined to offer him a contract. However, team officials have not ruled out extending him an offer to attend their training camp next month.