The Pittsburgh Penguins brought back defenseman Ryan Shea from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Friday afternoon.
While the team has not yet announced the move, Shea’s presence on the NHL roster is shown on the league’s media Web site. His return comes after defenseman Ryan Graves was sidelined indefinitely due to a concussion.
A first-year NHL player who does not qualify as a rookie due to his age (27), Shea has played in 22 NHL games this season and has not yet scored a point while averaging 12:28 of ice time per game. His most recent NHL game was on Dec. 8.
After starting the season on the NHL roster, Shea cleared waivers on Dec. 19 and has been moved between the NHL and AHL roster several times.
The left-handed Shea (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) has played in 22 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season and has recorded six points (two goals, four assists).
An addition as a free agent this past offseason, Shea, who can play on either side of a defensive pairing, is signed to a one-year contract worth $775,000.
As part of the move, the team quietly sent rookie forward Jonathan Gruden to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Gruden has been brought up to the NHL roster on seven different occasions this season. In 13 NHL games, Gruden has one goal while averaging 8:40 of ice time per game.
With Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Gruden (6-foot, 172 pounds) has played in 46 games and has scored 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists).
The left-handed Gruden, 23, is signed to a one-year, two-way contract that carries a salary cap hit of $775,000.
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