With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason after a brief return to the postseason, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.
Starting with veteran Noel Acciari and going on through to prospect Bill Zonnon, every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.
This series is scheduled to be published every day until June 24, two days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.
(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)
Phil Kemp
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Right
Age: 27
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 214 pounds
2025-26 AHL regular season statistics: 70 games, 10 points (three goals, seven assists)
2025-26 AHL postseason statistics: 10 games, one point (one goal, one assist)
Contract: In the first year of a two-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2027
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, July 2, 2025
This season: It might be hyperbole to call it a tradition.
But the Penguins always seem to have one of these guys around.
The fraternity of John Slaney, Patrick Boileau, Alain Nasreddine, Micki DuPont, Andrew Hutchinson, Corey Potter, Alexandre Picard, Dylan Reese, Taylor Chorney, Will O’Neill, David Warsofsky, Cameron Gaunce, Kevin Czuczman, Zach Trotman, Chris Summer, Stefan Elliott, Taylor Fedun, Matt Bartkowski, Xavier Ouellet and Mac Hollowell was joined this past season by Phil Kemp.
That’s to say the Penguins signed another veteran defenseman who doesn’t have much hope of reaching the NHL but knows how to do just about everything at the American Hockey League level and can offer sound guidance to the club’s rising prospects.
A veteran of six professional seasons, Kemp cleared waivers on Oct. 3 and was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, appearing in a team-best 70 (out of a possible 72) games during the regular season.
Opening the season on the right side of the top pairing, Kemp essentially remained there (or on the left side) for the first three months of the season. A high point of the season for him came on Nov. 14 when he totaled three points (two goals, one assist) during a 5-3 home win against the Bridgeport Islanders.
KEMPER pic.twitter.com/VYntT7AdNM
— x – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) November 15, 2025
A week later, Kemp was formally installed as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s captain.
By Jan. 4, Kemp began to get bumped onto the bottom-two pairings but remained a valued part of the lineup. The only two games of the regular season Kemp was scratched for came on April 11 and 15 as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had secured a first-round bye in the postseason.
For the final two games of the regular season and the first 10 games of the postseason, Kemp has been stationed on the third pairing, either on the right or left side.
The future: In the immediate, Kemp figures to be entrenched in the lineup for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as it tries to reach the Calder Cup final for the first time since 2008.
As far as next season goes, it will likely be more of the same for Kemp as he serves as a mentor to the team’s rising prospects, as has been the case in 2025-26 for the likes of Harrison Brunicke, Finn Harding, Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila and others.
It has been a valuable role with the Penguins for more than two decades and Kemp fills it well.