Prospect Update: Steven Ruggiero

By Thomas Harrington

The Anaheim Ducks selected Steven Ruggiero in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He started the season in the NCAA but left college for the USHL part way through the season.

Ruggiero’s season started out well enough, as he dressed in Providence College’s first game of the season. After only playing in 10 games as a freshman, it looked like Ruggiero was going to get more playing time this season. However, he was a healthy scratch for two of the next three games. He then dressed for three games in a row. After that, he only played in two of the next six games, and that was the end of his career in Providence. He had one assist in those six games.

It was clear that Ruggiero wasn’t going to get enough playing time at Providence; their defensive depth was still too much for him to get consistent ice time. The decision was made that he would leave the NCAA and play in the USHL to finish out the season, and hopefully return to college in the 2017-2018 season. In the USHL, Ruggiero joined the Youngstown Phantoms. He played in 29 games for the Phantoms and recorded six assists. While not great offensive numbers, Ruggiero isn’t a player who is known for putting points on the board. He joined his new team on December 31st and played in 29 of the team’s final 32 games. Being able to step in and play so many games with his new team right away and have an immediate impact shows that Ruggiero is a solid defenseman. However, the fact that he had to leave Providence to get consistent playing time because they were so deep on defense is concerning.

A year ago I said that I wanted to see Ruggiero play in more games with Providence than he did in his freshman season. A player can only develop so much at practice; they need to get playing time. Well, playing only six games and then leaving the NCAA means that Ruggiero didn’t meet those expectations. However, the fact that he was able to play almost 30 games in the USHL after joining his new team part way through the season is a good sign. While the quality of competition is clearly higher in college, playing almost 30 games in the USHL was probably better for his development than riding the bench for most of the season with Providence. So while the season wasn’t a resounding success, Ruggiero did a good job of making the most of a difficult situation.

This coming season, Ruggiero will return to the college ranks, this time playing for Lake Superior State University. As with last season, my primary goal for him will be to get as much playing time as possible. With this being the third year of NCAA hockey he’ll have participated in, normally I’d want him to be seeing time in his team’s top four. However, given how few college games he has under his belt, and the turbulent nature of this past season, I’ll settle for him playing most nights. Even if it’s on the team’s bottom pair, the key for Ruggiero this season is to see the ice in as many games as possible. I’m hoping that he chose to go to Lake Superior because he thinks will be getting that ice time with his new team.

Ruggiero is in a bit of a unique situation, but as far as I know, the Ducks will hold his rights through the end of his college career. He could choose to try and turn pro sooner rather than later, but given how few NCAA games he’s played, he would need an absolutely monster season this year for the Ducks to even consider signing him next summer. Right now, I think it’s more likely that the Ducks end up choosing to not sign him when his college days are over and let him become a free agent. However, if he can have a strong couple of seasons at Lake Superior, he could have a shot at getting an entry-level deal.

My next prospect update will be on Kevin Roy.

Want to start your sports media career? Then Join The Puck Network!

DucksNPucks is part of The Puck Network, which covers the entire NHL. There are openings to cover your favorite team(s) and earn school credits! If you are interested, then apply by filling out the form here: Join Our Team. What are you waiting for? Start your sports media career TODAY!

September 8th, 2017

Filed under: Ducks News Tagged: Anaheim Ducks, Ducks, ducksnpucks, Prospect update, Steven Ruggiero