After reports of defensive prospect Lukas Bengtsson packing up and returning home to Sweden to play in the SHL Tuesday afternoon, Jim Rutherford dipped into the college ranks once again and quietly signed a new defenseman Dane Birks to a two-year, entry-level contract during Detroit’s spanking of the Penguins last night.
Birks is a 2013 sixth-round draft pick and his deal with begin with the 2018-19 season. He’ll report to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins later this week on an amateur tryout contract to prove to Clark Donatelli and the rest of the Pittsburgh organization what he’s got.