Chad Ruhwedel News

Ruhwedel will not be available for Tuesday's game vs. the Capitals, so look for Mark Friedman to draw into the lineup for the first time since January 8th.

Ruhwedel was activated from the COVID-19 protocol list for Thursday's game but he is ineligible to travel to Canada due to the Canadian government’s mandatory 14-day quarantine requirement following his previous positive tests for COVID-19.

Ruhwedel has missed the last three games while in COVID-19 protocol but was on the ice for Wednesday's practice and will be a game-time decision on Thursday. Ruhwedel skated on the third pairing with Marcus Pettersson (also a game-time decision) in the session.

Ruhwedel replaced Zach Trotman in the lineup on Wednesday but they will swap places again on Friday. Ruhwedel has no points in three NHL games this season.

Ruhwedel split his 2019 campaign between the NHL and AHL. Ruhwedel had one goal and one assist in 18 games with the Penguins and five points (1G / 4A) in five AHL games. Ruhwedel figures to serve as the Penguins No.7 defenseman in 2019-20.

Ruhwedel has been in the lineup for five consecutive games, but will be replaced by Juuso Riikola tonight vs. the Devils. Ruhwedel failed to record a point and was a minus-6 in those five games.

Ruhwedel is expected to make his season debut on Thursday, replacing Juuso Riikola. Ruhwedel had just five points (2G / 3A) in 44 games with the Penguins last year.

Ruhwedel departed Wednesday’s game early and did not return. He will likely miss at least a couple of weeks with an upper-body injury so Frank Corrado has been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

The Penguins did not provide an update on Ruhwedel’s status after the game so consider him as questionable leading up to Friday’s game in Carolina. This is a bad time to lose Ruhwedel as the Penguins were without Kris Letang for Wednesday’s game.

Ruhwedel, 26, has registered one goal and one assist in five games with the Penguins this season. With Kris Letang out for weeks, Ruhwedel will draw into the lineup on Monday. He has 16 points (4G / 12A) in 28 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Ruhwedel, 26, was with the Sabres’ organization from 2013-2016 before signing with the Penguins this summer. The undrafted defenseman has seven points (2G / 5A) in 10 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but will serve as a healthy scratch during Tuesday’s game.

Ruhwedel, 26, appeared in just one NHL game last year, spending the year with Rochester (AHL), collecting 26 points (10G / 16A) in 59 games. Ruhwedel has just two assists in 33 career NHL games. Expect him to start the 2016-17 season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Ruhwedel, 24, has one assist in two games with the Sabres this season. He has spent the majority of the year in Rochester, where he has 10 goals and 24 assists (34 points) in 69 games this season.