John Ludvig

John Ludvig (August 2, 2000) is a Czech-Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL).

John Ludvig
Born (2000-08-02) August 2, 2000
Liberec, Czech Republic
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft 69th overall, 2019
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2021–present

Early life

Ludvig was born on August 2, 2000, in Liberec, Czech Republic,.[1] to parents Jan and Charell. Ludvig was born into an athletic family; his father played for the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League and his sister Katie plays collegiate volleyball.[1]

Playing career

Growing up in British Columbia, Ludvig played defense for most of his youth hockey career but played the position of goaltender for a short period of time. As a defenseman, he played Junior B hockey and went undrafted in the Western Hockey League's (WHL) bantam draft at the age of 14 due to his size.[2] As a result of his father's hockey background, Ludvig trained under his guidance in his backyard with weights, tires, and sledgehammers.[3] Due to his training and offensive growth, Ludvig was placed on the Portland Winterhawks protected list at the age of 16.[2]

Major junior

Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Ludvig was ranked 48th overall North American defenseman by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[4] He was eventually drafted in 69th overall by the Florida Panthers on June 22, 2019, but was among the last of his family to find out due to the numerous messages and phone calls spamming his phone.[5] Following the draft, he was invited to their Development Camp.[6] Upon returning to the Winterhawks for the 2019–20 season, Ludvig was named the Winterhawks' 44th captain in team history.[7] During his final season with the Winterhawks, Ludvig recorded 17 goals, fourth best among WHL defensemen, and 45 assists in 60 games[3] and was selected for the WHL's Eastern Conference First All-Star Team.[8] He was also credited by the Panthers for his physicality and penalty killing skills, along with success on the power play.[9] Ludvig concluded his major junior career by signing an entry-level contract with the Panthers on March 30, 2020.[3]

Professional

Following his major junior career, Ludvig joined the Florida Panthers Development Camp but was reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.[10] While sports were paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ludvig and his sister worked out together around five days a week with a trainer, including cardio sessions on the weekends.[11] Upon returning the Crunch for the 2020–21 season, Ludvig led all team defencemen in scoring with two goals and eight points in 13 games.[12] He recorded his first professional goal, the game-winner, on March 1 against the Rochester Americans.[13] On July 17, 2023, he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers.[14] Later in the year, on October 9, 2023, he was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins.[15] On October 24, Ludvig made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4–1 loss against the Dallas Stars.[16]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 Kamloops Storm KIJHL 17 5 10 15 67 11 1 7 8 20
2017–18 Portland Winterhawks WHL 51 2 5 7 43 11 1 2 3 21
2018–19 Portland Winterhawks WHL 58 5 13 18 77 3 0 1 1 7
2019–20 Portland Winterhawks WHL 6017456257 —————
2020–21 Syracuse Crunch AHL 1326813 —————
2021–22 Charlotte Checkers AHL 30000 30000
2022–23 Charlotte Checkers AHL 543141772 70224
AHL totals 70 5 20 25 85 10 0 2 2 4

Awards and honours
Award Year Ref
WHL
Eastern Conference First All-Star Team 2020 [8]

References
  1. Hastings, Marty (December 10, 2019). "Home no fixed address for Ludvig siblings — Katie of TRU WolfPack, Johnny of Portland Winterhawks". Kamloops This Week. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  2. Danzer, Paul (April 2, 2020). "'Slow, chubby little kid' becomes another Winterhawk in line for NHL". Portland Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  3. Critzer, Joshua (March 30, 2020). "FLORIDA PANTHERS SIGN WINTERHAWKS CAPTAIN "ROCKY" JOHN LUDVIG". DUBNetwork. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. "Ludvig Listed Among Top North American Skaters for NHL Draft". Portland Winterhawks. April 16, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  5. Critzer, Joshua (June 24, 2019). "JOHNNY LUDVIG: A FUTURE BRIGHT ENOUGH FOR SUNSCREEN AND SUNGLASSES". DUBNetwork. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  6. "Winterhawks Invited to NHL Development Camps". Portland Winterhawks. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  7. "Johnny Ludvig Named Winterhawks 2019-20 Captain". Portland Winterhawks. September 20, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  8. Seitz, Earl (April 7, 2020). "WHL names first all-stars for 2019-20 season". CFJC-TV. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  9. Olive, Jameson (September 28, 2020). "2019 Draft Check-In: Knight Highlights Large Panthers Class". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  10. Kramer, Lindsay (January 9, 2021). "Florida Panthers send first group of players to Syracuse Crunch". Syracuse. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  11. Klassen, Chad (July 2, 2020). "Ludvigs improving their games while waiting to return to their sports". CFJC-TV. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  12. "STORM'S JOHN LUDVIG ENJOYING STRONG AHL SEASON". Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. April 17, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  13. "CRUNCH DEFEAT AMERKS, 4-3". Syracuse Crunch. March 1, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  14. "Florida Panthers sign defenseman John Ludvig to two-year contract". Daily Faceoff. July 17, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  15. "Penguins Claim John Ludvig from Florida; Their Players Clear". Pittsburgh Hockey Now. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  16. "Oettinger makes 38 saves in Stars win against Penguins". NHL. October 24, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
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