Penguins’ St. Ivany to miss minimum of six weeks with lower-body injury

Another injury blow for the Pittsburgh Penguins with the regular season on the horizon.

The team announced on Thursday that defenseman Jack St. Ivany will miss a minimum of six weeks due to a lower-body injury.

St. Ivany was noticeably absent from practice on Thursday. He blocked a shot during the first period of the Penguins’ preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night. The 26-year-old left the ice and went down to the locker room, and though he briefly returned to the bench, he wouldn’t take another shift. He wasn’t on the bench for the start of the second period.

According to Taylor Haase of DK Pittsburgh Sports, St. Ivany was seen after the game walking in his normal dress shoes, but his right foot was wrapped up.

St. Ivany was considered a long shot to make the opening night roster, with many suspecting him to join the Penguins’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, to start the 2025-26 campaign. However, with the possibility that the Manhattan Beach, Calif. native being out of action until far into November, it might throw a wrinkle in the organization’s plans for him this season.

St. Ivany has spent the last couple of seasons bouncing between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Last year, he posted an assist in 17 games with the big club, registering a plus/minus of -3 while averaging 16:22 of ice time per game. He also notched a career-high 16 points in 37 games with the AHL Penguins.

The Boston College product has played in 33 NHL games in his young career, posting two assists and a -3 rating. In 159 AHL appearances, he has scored five goals and 34 assists for 39 points.

St. Ivany is entering the second season of his three-year, two-way contract that he signed with the Pens in May 2024. The deal carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000 and a minor-league salary of $250,000 this season.