Shawn McEachern, the leading scorer on the U.S. Olympic hockey team, signed a multi-year contract Tuesday and will join the Pittsburgh Penguins after next month's Olympics.

McEachern, a left wing who played at Boston University for three seasons, was the Penguins' sixth-round draft choice in 1987. The signing came a few hours before the Penguins played the Olympic team in an exhibition game Tuesday night.

In 49 games with the Olympic team, McEachran has 23 goals and 19 assists. He had two goals and three assists in five games while playing for the U.S. select team in the 1990 Goodwill Games.

'Top Prospect'

"He is one of our top prospects and has shown a great amount of improvement over the last year," Penguins general manager Craig Patrick said. "We anticipate he will be an important part of our organization in the future after a successful experience with the U.S. Olympic team."

McEachern, 22, from Waltham, Mass., was a first-team All-America and the leading scorer on Boston University's team last season with 34 goals and 48 assists. He had a team-leading plus-55 rating.