April 15, 2010
Columbus, Ohio – Notre Dame junior defenseman Teddy Ruth (Naperville, Ill.) has signed a standard three-year entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets. The announcement was made by Blue Jacket general manager Scott Howson on April 12. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Ruth joins fellow junior Ian Cole (St. Louis Blues) and seniors Kyle Lawson (Carolina Hurricanes) and Ryan Thang (Nashville Predators) to sign with NHL teams since the end of the 2009-10 season for the Irish. Senior teammates Dan Kissel (Bakersfield Falcons – ECHL) and Brett Blatchford (Idaho Steelheads – ECHL) have also signed tryout contracts with teams in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) since the end of the season.
The Washington Capitals originally selected the 21-year old defenseman in the second round, 46th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Columbus obtained his rights from Washington on Feb. 26, 2008 in exchange for future Hall of Fame forward Sergei Federov.
The 6-1, 208-pound defenseman has been a regular on the Notre Dame blue line for three years and was one of the top defensive-defensemen in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). A tough, hard-nosed, stay-at-home defender, Ruth served as an alternate captain for the Irish last season. He played in 22 games with no goals and five assists for five points to go with 52 minutes in penalties. His 31 blocked shots ranked were fifth best on the team in that category.
In three seasons at Notre Dame, Ruth played in 100 career games, scoring four goals with 13 assists for 17 points with 130 minutes in penalties. As a freshman (2007-08), Ruth played a key role in the Irish run to the Frozen Four and last season he helped the Irish to their second CCHA regular-season and tournament championship.
A product of USA Hockey’s National Team Developmental Program, Ruth was a member of the 2009 USA Junior National Team that finished fifth in Ottawa, Ont.
Ruth is a finance major in Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.