Penguins defenseman John Ludvig cleared to play

Like any other professional hockey player, John Ludvig’s NHL debut was memorable.

All that hard work and sacrifice in juniors and the minors allowed the rookie Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman to finally realize his dreams.

Ludvig’s debut was memorable for other reasons as well.

None of them good.

During the second period a 4-1 home loss to the Dallas Stars, Ludvig suffered a concussion on a spectacularly violent collision with Dallas Stars forward Radek Faksa.

In trying to initiate a big neutral zone check on Faksa, Ludvig wound up striking his face off of Faksa’s helmet and fell to the ice immediately.

After being attended to by medical staffers from both teams, Ludvig was helped to the dressing room by teammates and hasn’t been in the lineup since.

“I remember it all,” Ludvig said after practice Monday at PPG Paints Arena. “I was having a pretty good game. I remember lining up the hit. After that, I was a little confused on what just happened. I remember everything leading up to it. Just when it happened, it’s a little blurry.”

Formally recalled from his conditioning assignment Tuesday evening, Ludvig officially remains on long-term injured reserve after missing the past 11 NHL contests. He might be needed as soon as Wednesday for a home game against the New York Rangers given the statuses of veteran defensemen P.O Joseph and Chad Ruhwedel, each hobbled by undisclosed injuries.

Cleared to play, Ludvig is eager to have a better second game.

“It’s been almost a month now,” Ludvig said. “I’ve been cautious with it just to make sure my head gets fully healthy. But I feel back to 100%.”

Part of Ludvig’s recuperation involved a conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL this past weekend. He appeared in road AHL contests Friday and Saturday, recording one shot with two penalty minutes.

“It’s just nice to get out there and start playing again because it’s been a little while since the injury,” Ludvig said. “It was a good time.”

Ludvig’s time in the NHL has been limited in his professional career. A third-round pick (No. 69 overall) by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Draft, Ludvig spent three seasons in the AHL before the Penguins claimed him off waivers Oct. 29. A little more than two weeks later, he made his debut, logging 5 minutes, 29 seconds of ice time on five shifts and recording one shot.

His injury notwithstanding, Ludvig was sated by what he offered on that quintet of shifts.

“It was good,” Ludvig said. “I thought I was playing well leading up to it. Just playing my game. Simple, hard. Was happy with it up until that point.”

Suffering such a serious injury in his first NHL game was hardly a happy occasion. But Ludvig, the son of former New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres forward Jan Ludvig, understands that is part of the business.

“It’s not ideal (being injured) at any time, especially in your debut,” Ludvig said. “But if I play that way, things like that can happen. I’d rather go out and throw a big hit than play it safe and not play my game.”

A sturdy 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, Ludvig plays a physical game, as evidenced by the sequence that led to his injury.

Don’t expect that misstep to change his methods.

“I’ve always played like that,” Ludvig said. “Things exactly like that have happened to me before. I know if I play that way a little bit on the edge, things like that are going to happen. I’m fine with that. It’s not going to change how I play.”

Note: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Dmitri Samorukov to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season. The deal is worth a prorated $775,000.