Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany will miss a minimum of six weeks due to an apparent right foot injury he suffered during a 5-3 road preseason win against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
The team announced St. Ivany’s status Thursday. Following a practice session in Cranberry, St. Ivany was spotted wearing a walking boot while moving around with the assistance of a scooter that elevated his right leg.
A right-handed defenseman, St. Ivany was in a battle to make the NHL roster out of training camp but had offered a respectable showing during the preseason, appearing in four games and collecting a single assist.
“I’ve shown that I can play at that level,” St. Ivany said last month during an early stage of the team’s ongoing training camp. “When I’m playing good defense, being physical and shutting down plays, that’s when I’m most effective. If I do that, I know I belong in the NHL.”
St. Ivany opened last season with the NHL club and played in 19 games and recorded one assist while averaging 16:22 of ice time per contest, primarily skating on the third pairing.
Struggles led to him spending the bulk of the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. In 37 games with that club, St. Ivany posted 16 points (one goal, 15 assists) and largely worked on a top-two pairing with Owen Pickering.
Earlier in the day, the team announced forward Bryan Rust would miss a minimum of two weeks due to an undisclosed ailment.
The Penguins open the regular season with a road contest against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
