John Ludvig (born August 2, 2000) is a Czech professional

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defenseman 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 ...

for the

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL) while under contract to the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the 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).

Early life

Ludvig was born on August 2, 2000, in

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

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, to parents

Jan Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

and Charell. Ludvig was born into an athletic family; his father Jan played for the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The club w ...

and

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

in the

. His sister Katie plays collegiate

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Playing career

Growing up in British Columbia, Ludvig played defense for most of his youth hockey career but played the position of

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for a short period of time. As a defenseman, he played Junior B hockey and went undrafted in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

's (WHL) bantam draft at the age of 14 due to his size. As a result of his father's hockey background, Ludvig trained under his guidance in his backyard with weights, tires, and sledgehammers. Due to his training and offensive growth, Ludvig was placed on the

Portland Winterhawks The Portland Winterhawks are a junior ice hockey team based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1950 as the Edmonton Oil Kings, the team relocated to Portland in 1976 and was known as the Winter Hawks until 2009. The team plays in the U.S. Divisio ...

protected list at the age of 16.

Major junior

Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Ludvig was ranked 48th overall North American defenseman by the

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. He was eventually drafted in 69th overall by the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Panthers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team initially played it ...

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. Following the draft, he was invited to their Development Camp. Upon returning to the Winterhawks for the 2019–20 season, Ludvig was named the Winterhawks' 44th captain in team history. During his final season with the Winterhawks, Ludvig recorded 17 goals, fourth best among WHL defensemen, and 45 assists in 60 games and was selected for the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team. He was also credited by the Panthers for his physicality and penalty killing skills, along with success on the power play. Ludvig concluded his major junior career by signing an

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with the Panthers on March 30, 2020.

Professional

Following his major junior career, Ludvig joined the Florida Panthers Development Camp but was reassigned to their

(AHL) 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 ...

. While sports were paused due to the

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, Ludvig and his sister worked out together around five days a week with a trainer, including cardio sessions on the weekends. 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. He recorded his first professional goal, the game-winner, on March 1 against the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...

. On July 17, 2023, he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Florida Panthers. Later in the year, on October 9, 2023, he was claimed off waivers by the

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 ...

. On October 24, Ludvig made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4–1 loss against the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

. Remaining with Pittsburgh for the majority of the season, Ludvig was primarily used in a depth role as the team's seventh defenseman. On February 14, 2024, Ludvig scored his first NHL goal in a home loss against former draft club, the Florida Panthers. With the Penguins missing the post-season for the second year in a row, he finished with 3 goals and 5 points through 33 regular season appearances. Approaching the season, Ludvig for the second consecutive season was placed on waivers during pre-season and left the Penguins after he was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche on October 5, 2024.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ludvig, John 2000 births Living people Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian people of Czech descent Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Colorado Avalanche players Colorado Eagles players Florida Panthers draft picks Ice hockey people from Kamloops Pittsburgh Penguins players Portland Winterhawks players Syracuse Crunch players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen