The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today the team has claimed defenseman John Ludvig off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ludvig, 24, played the majority of his 2023-24 campaign for Pittsburgh and recorded five points (3g/2a) in 33 games, marking his first career NHL appearances. He also appeared in four contests for the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season.
The 6-foot-1, 214-pound blueliner has also suited up in 74 career AHL games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Charlotte Checkers and Syracuse Crunch from 2020-24 where he’s registered 25 points (5g/20a). He was a part of two Calder Cup Playoff runs for the Checkers in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and enters this season with 10 games of AHL Playoff experience (0g/2a).
Prior to turning pro, Ludvig competed for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL from 2017-20 and was selected to the league’s Western Conference First All-Star Team in 2019-20. He was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the third round (69th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft.
