The Penguins and
General Manager Jim Rutherford announced today that forward Teddy Blueger has
officially been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The 24-year-old, 2012 second-round draft pick has more
than paid his dues down in the American Hockey League over the past few
seasons, and in this current 2018-19 campaign, leads the Baby Pens in scoring
with 39 points (21 goals, 18 assists) in 49 games played. Those 21 tallies also
rank fourth in the AHL and tie his career record. Blueger is currently riding a
four-game point streak with eight points (four goals, four helpers).
Known for being a great playmaker on the ice, Blueger has
always been praised for his stick-handling ability and prowess inside the
faceoff circle. And with a smaller frame seemingly to his detriment at first
glance, he proves those initial naysayers wrong by constantly flooding the
dirty areas of the ice and winning puck battles.
This will be Blueger’s second NHL call up after the
Penguins promoted him for a
tilt against the Dallas Stars during
the 2017-18 season. He didn’t end up playing in that game, but it established a
sense of trust and confidence from his organization that his name would be
called upon when depth at the highest level is necessary. With 12 healthy
forwards and two open roster spots available via the Jamie Oleksiak
trade, the two-way center’s promotion could hopefully
kick-start the Penguins and shake something up during their losing skid. It
could also be a teaser for a potential incoming trade.
Blueger also showed flashes of
brilliance during the 2018 IIHF World Championship,
demonstrating how well he sees the ice in tough matchups against the world’s
most elite hockey clubs. He came in at No. 11 in our latest Top 25 Under 25
prospect series last summer.
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