Jan Rutta (born 29 July 1990) is a Czech professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

that is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played with the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL). Originally an

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

player, he won back-to-back

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

s with the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. Rutta has also previously played for the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

and

Playing career

Rutta made his

Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga () is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created in 1993 following the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia midway through the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season (which all Slovak and ...

debut playing with

Piráti Chomutov Piráti Chomutov is a Czech ice hockey team from Chomutov, Czech Republic. Established as ČSK Chomutov in 1945, the team has played in Chomutov through numerous team name changes and elevations/relegations in the Czechoslovak and Czech hockey l ...

debut during the 2012–13 Czech Extraliga season. After seven seasons with Chomutov, Rutta left the Czech Republic in signing a one-year contract with the

of the NHL on 8 June 2017. After attending his first training camp with the Blackhawks, Rutta made the opening night roster for the 2017–18 season. On 9 October, Rutta scored his first NHL goal against goaltender

Frederik Andersen Frederik Andersen (born 2 October 1989) is a Danish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs. Representing Denmark men ...

in a game against the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. Rutta secured a blueline role within the Blackhawks during the season, and on 8 March 2018, was signed to a one-year $2.25 million extension. With the Blackhawks missing the postseason, Rutta appeared in 57 games while adding offensively with six goals and 14 assists for 20 points. In the following the 2018–19 season, with the Blackhawks continuing to struggle out of the gate, Rutta was placed on waivers after contributing with two goals and six points in 23 games on 23 December 2018. After clearing he was assigned to AHL affiliate, the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

. On 11 January 2019, Rutta was traded by the Blackhawks, along with a

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

seventh-round pick to the

in exchange for Slater Koekkoek and a 2019 fifth-round pick. He was slated to continue in the AHL with the Lightning's affiliate, the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team based in Syracuse, New York. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning. They play in they home games at the Upstate Medical Univer ...

. On 9 March, Rutta made his debut with the Lightning in a 3–2 win over the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

Amalie Arena Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, United States, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tamp ...

. He played out the tail end of the regular season with the League leading Lightning, posting 2 assists in 14 games. He maintained his place in the lineup through the playoffs, recording 2 assists in a four-game series sweep defeat to the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

. On 4 May, Rutta was re-signed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract extension to continue with the Lightning. During the 2020–21 season, on 15 June 2021, Rutta scored his first career NHL playoff goal in the Lightning's 4–2 win against the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

. Following four seasons within the Lightning organization, Rutta left as a free agent and was signed to a three-year, $8.25 million contract with the

on 13 July 2022. After just one season in Pittsburgh, Rutta was traded to the

on 6 August 2023, as part of a three-team package deal for

Erik Karlsson Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson (; born 31 May 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Ottawa Senators at th ...

International play

Rutta represented Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a gold medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutta, Jan 1990 births Living people Chicago Blackhawks players Czech expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Czech ice hockey defencemen Ice hockey people from Písek Piráti Chomutov players Pittsburgh Penguins players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players San Jose Sharks players Sportovní Klub Kadaň players Stanley Cup champions Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning players Undrafted National Hockey League players 21st-century Czech sportsmen