April 1, 2014
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today that they have signed Notre Dame right wing Bryan Rust (Sr., Novi, Mich.) to a two-year entry-level contract that will begin with the 2014-15 season and run through 2015-16. Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero made the announcement.
The 21-year old Rust was selected by the Penguins in the third round (80th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Rust’s four-year career at Notre Dame came to an end on March 29 when the Irish fell to St. Cloud State, 4-3 in overtime, in the NCAA West Regional at St. Paul, Minn. The hard-working forward scored a goal and added an assist in his final game for the Irish.
For the season, Rust finished second in scoring with a career-high 17 goals to go with 16 assists for 33 points. He led the team with 132 shots on goal and had four power-play goals, two short-handed tallies and three game winners to go with the second-best plus/minus on the team at +16.
It was his two goals, 24 seconds apart in the final 1:08 versus Maine on Feb. 8 that gave the Irish a 3-2 victory and helped the team get back on track as the Irish went 8-3-1 over the final 12 games on the way to the NCAA West Regional.
As a junior, Rust, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., had his best season as he helped Notre Dame to the final CCHA Mason Cup championship. The 5-11, 199-pound forward had 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points and was +25 on the year. He added five power-play goals, one short-handed marker and four game winners.
He finished his career tied for fifth in games played with 161 while scoring 43 goals with 54 assists for 97 points. He had nine power-play goals, four short-handed tallies and eight game winners while being +53 for his career.
Rust will start his pro career with Pittsburgh’s American Hockey League franchise, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Penguins next game is set for Friday, April 4 versus the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.