Penguins recall young forward for eighth time this season

The Pittsburgh Penguins have once again recalled forward Jonathan Gruden, per a team announcement. This marks Gruden’s eighth call-up of the season, and it brings him back to the NHL roster after six days in the minor leagues. Gruden played in three AHL games this weekend, recording no points, one fight and five shots on goal.

Gruden is being recalled alongside Samuel Poulin — with the pair providing depth for a Penguins team currently facing injuries to Noel Acciari, Matthew Nieto and Jansen Harkins — the former of the three being placed on injured reserve this morning. Gruden and Poulin will fight for the team’s open fourth-line role, with Gruden carrying the upper hand thanks to his 12 NHL appearances this season. He has just one point, his first career goal, in those appearances — though he’s provided serviceable grit in the bottom six. Poulin has yet to play in the NHL this season, with his only games in the league coming during a three-game stint last season. He’s impressed in the AHL, though, with 13 goals and 27 points in 36 games this season bringing his career totals to 68 points in 123 games. He has just one point in his NHL appearances.

Gruden has bounced between the AHL and NHL lineup for much of the last two seasons, serving as a de facto fill-in when Pittsburgh is facing injury. He was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft, being selected out of the U.S. National Team Development Program before pursuing one year in college and one year in the OHL. He’s still searching for his scoring groove in the pros, with just 96 points in 207 career AHL games.