The Pittsburgh Penguins recalled rookie defenseman Owen Pickering from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Tuesday morning.

This transaction comes one day after the Penguins formally placed Rickard Rakell on injured reserve due to a left hand injury that will sideline him for six to eight weeks.

Pickering, a first-round draft pick (No. 21 overall) in 2022, has appeared in seven AHL games this season and scored four points while primarily playing the left side of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second pairing.

During this past preseason, the left-handed Pickering appeared in three games and did not record a point.

Making his NHL debut last season, Pickering appeared in 25 games and scored three points (one goal, two assists) while averaging 14:49 of ice time per contest.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are opening a four-game road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and entered the day with only two healthy left-handed defensemen on the active roster in veterans Ryan Shea and Parker Wotherspoon.

Veteran left-handed defenseman Caleb Jones was placed on injured reserve Saturday due to a suspected left foot injury he suffered during a 5-3 road win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

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