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<p>John Marino may never end up putting on a Penguins jersey &#8212; NHL or AHL. But after Pittsburgh acquired the rights to the Harvard defenseman, the organization is hoping he&#8217;ll be part of the future.</p><p>Pittsburgh sent a conditional sixth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday in exchange for the signing rights to Marino, who is set to play his senior season at Harvard as a team captain this fall.</p><p>The Penguins will hold Marino&#8217;s exclusive rights until next summer and will send a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft to the Oilers if they sign him or trade him to another team. Should Marino elect to become a free agent, the Penguins will keep the pick.</p><p>&#8220;John is a mobile defenseman who excels at moving the puck while also playing with an edge to his game,&#8221; Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said through the team. &#8220;We are excited to acquire him as we continue to add defensive depth to the organization. The next step is to work on getting a contract done with him.&#8221;</p><p>If things go well enough, it&#8217;s possible Marino, 22, could join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this spring for the stretch run on an amateur tryout contract after Harvard&#8217;s season ends.</p><p>The 6-foot-1, 181-pounder has played three seasons in college, playing 101 games for the Crimson while recording 42 points (seven goals, 35 assists). As a freshman in 2016-17, he was a second-team All-Ivy League selection who helped Harvard win the ECAC and reach the Frozen Four, two wins shy of a national championship.</p><p>After recording a plus-41 rating over his first two years, Marino dipped to a minus-3 in his junior season. He figures to have a larger role on the team in 2019-20, not just as a captain but on the ice after star blueliner Adam Fox left early to sign with the New York Rangers</p><p>Marino was a sixth-round pick (154th overall) of the Oilers in 2015. A native of Brockton, Mass., he played a season in the USHL before heading to college, helping Tri-City win the league championship in 2016.</p><p>The Penguins acquired Marino hoping to improve a particularly shallow prospect pool on defense. They took a step toward that earlier in the summer when they landed former first-round pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph from the Arizona Coyotes in the Phil Kessel trade.</p><p>Joseph is set to make his pro debut this fall, almost certainly starting the year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Harvard defenseman John Marino is set to play his senior season for the Crimson this year with the Penguins hoping to sign him to a contract after the season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/web1_AP_19040601690750.jpg</photo0><caption0>Harvard defenseman John Marino is set to play his senior season for the Crimson this year with the Penguins hoping to sign him to a contract after the season. </caption0><photoCredit0>Damian Strohmeyer | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

Penguins trade for rights to Harvard defense prospect John Marino