The
Anaheim Ducks have acquired left wing
Jarkko Ruutu from the
Ottawa Senators in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
“Jarkko is an effective, two-way player that we feel will help us down the stretch,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager
Bob Murray. “He’s the energetic, gritty type of addition we were looking for.”
Ruutu, 35 (8/23/75), has appeared in 629 career NHL contests, earning 57-83-140 points with 1,040 penalty minutes (PIM) with Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Ottawa. He appeared in 50 contests with the Senators this season, scoring 2-8=10 points with 59 PIM. In 2009-10, he established career highs with Ottawa for both goals (12) and points in a season (26). He also matched his career high in assists (14) in 2009-10 and was one of only two Senators to appear in all 82 contests (second time in career, also 2005-06). He appeared in his 500th career NHL contest on Oct. 12, 2009 vs. Pittsburgh.
A native of Vantaa, Finland, Ruutu joined
Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu on the medal podium at both the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy (silver medal) and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia (bronze medal) as a member of Team Finland. A three-time Olympian, he also played for his native country at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition, Ruutu is a veteran of six Finnish World Championship squads (silver in 2001, bronze in 2006) and appeared in the 2004 World Cup (with Selanne and Koivu).
Selected by Vancouver in the third round (68th overall) of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, Ruutu made his NHL debut on Nov. 20, 1999 at Nashville and scored his first NHL goal (shorthanded) on Jan. 24, 2001 vs. Phoenix. After playing six seasons with Vancouver, he signed as a free agent with Pittsburgh on July 4, 2006 and later with Ottawa on July 2, 2008. The 6-1, 204-pound winger is also a veteran of 55 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, earning 5-5=10 points with 102 PIM. He advanced to the Stanley Cup Final with Pittsburgh in 2008, notching 2-1=3 points with 26 PIM in 20 games. Ruutu scored the game-winning goal in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Ottawa on April 16, 2008, helping the Penguins to a sweep of the Senators.