Penguins activate forward Rickard Rakell from injured reserve

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Rickard Rakell was activated from injured reserve Friday morning. He has been sidelined for the past seven weeks due to a left hand injury that required surgery in late October.

Often deployed on the left wing of the top line and the top power-play unit, Rakell has appeared in nine games this season and has scored eight points (three goals, five assists) while averaging 17:44 of ice time per contest.

Rakell has rejoined the team over the past week for a handful of morning skates in Cranberry. On Thursday, he mixed in as the center of the third line.

In a corresponding transaction, the team formally loaned defenseman Harrison Brunicke to Hockey Canada for the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Championship tournament.

Procedurally, the loan functions similarly to an assignment to a minor league affiliate. Brunicke is removed from the active NHL roster and his salary cap hit ($845,833) comes off the books.

Hockey Canada’s training camp for that event begins Saturday, while the tournament runs between Dec. 26 and Jan. 5.

Brunicke has not played an NHL game since Nov. 3. In the nine contests he has played, he has scored one goal and averaged 15:43 of ice time per contest while largely stationed on the right side of the third pairing.

Players who are still eligible to play junior hockey, such as the 19-year-old Brunicke, can play in up to nine NHL contests before the first year of their entry-level contract is tolled. The Penguins appear to be holding off on that decision for as long as possible.

Brunicke recently completed a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. In five games with that club, he recorded four assists while primarily working on the right side of the second pairing.

Following these transactions, the Penguins have the league maximum of 23 players on the active NHL roster.