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Posted: Mar 28, 2018

Birks signs two-year contract with Pittsburgh Penguins

Birks signs two-year contract with Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Michigan Tech hockey senior defenseman Dane Birks has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins, announced executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford Tuesday (March 27) evening.

Birks' deal will begin with the 2018-19 campaign. He will report to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this week on an amateur tryout contract. Birks was a sixth-round pick (164th overall) of the Penguins in the 2013 NHL Draft and attended the Penguins Development Camp three times.

Birks, a native of Merritt, British Columbia, appeared in 117 games for the Huskies over the past three seasons. His offensive numbers improved in each season, finishing with 30 career points on seven goals and 23 assists.

As a senior, Birks had career highs in goals (5) and assists (13) in 44 games. He had nine points on the power play and had an assist on the game-winning goal at Alaska (Nov. 25) and at home against Lake Superior State (Dec. 15). Tech was undefeated (3-0-2) when he scored, while he also blocked 43 shots and had a plus-10 rating. Birks had a pair of assists in a 4-3 win at Lake Superior State (Oct. 13) and had a goal and an assist at Alaska Anchorage (Nov. 19). He also had an assist in the WCHA Championship Game when the Huskies shutout archrival Northern Michigan 2-0 in Marquette on March 17.

As a junior, Birks appeared in 42 games, tallying nine points with two goals and seven assists. He was second amongst Tech defensemen with a plus-12 rating and blocked 43 shots. Birks scored the game-winning goal in the GLI Semifinal against Michigan (Dec. 29) and also scored against Minnesota State (March 10) in Game 1 of the WCHA Semifinal series. He added assists both nights and had a third multi-point game at Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 2) with a pair of assists.

Birks was a member of a senior class that won 97 games—the most since the 1984 class. The class was the first since 1978 to have a winning record all four seasons. They took the Huskies to three NCAA Tournaments, won a pair of WCHA Tournament Titles, won the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champs as sophomores, and were ranked the No. 1 team in the nation in 2014-15 after a program-best 10-0 start. They also won the Desert Hockey Classic in 2015-16 and the Ice Breaker Championship earlier this season.

Prior to his career at Tech, Birks spend over two seasons in the BCHL. He played his final two campaigns with his hometown Merritt Centennials, appearing in 102 games and tallying 41 points. He was named to the BCHL All-Rookie Team and Merritt's Rookie of the Year in 2012-13, and its Defenseman of the Year in 2013-14. He also played 10 games for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Birks represented Canada West at the 2013 World Junior-A Challenge, helping his squad capture the bronze medal.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have 10 games remaining in their regular season and currently sit third in the Atlantic Division. The top four teams from each division qualify for the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs.