Ruhwedel started playing youth ice hockey at the San DiegoIce Arena while a resident of Scripps Ranch. He later played for the San Diego Junior Gulls and La Jolla Jaguars as a youth, before playing for the Los Angeles Kings U18 AAA team. After juniors, he played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL, earning a Division Icollege hockey scholarship to UMass Lowell. Ruhwedel played at UMass Lowell from 2010 to 2013. He was named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team in 2010–11, 2011–12, and 2012–13. In 2011–12 he was a Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star, and in 2012–13 he was a Hockey East First-Team All-Star, and an AHCA East First-Team All-American. He also won the Bob Monahan Award as the best defenseman in New England. On April 13, 2013, Ruhwedel signed a two-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Sabres. On the same day, he made his NHL debut for the Sabres in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. On July 16, 2014 Ruhwedel signed a two-year contract to remain with the Sabres organization. At the conclusion of his contract with the Sabres, on July 1, 2016, Ruhwedel signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way deal with the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored his first National Hockey League goal on December 23, 2016 in a 4–1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. He split his time during 2016–17 season playing 28 games in minors for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and 34 games Pittsburgh in the NHL. He would play 6 playoff games. Ruhwedel suffered a concussion in game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Ottawa Senators, and missed the rest of the season. The Penguins would go on to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight season; since Ruhwedel spent 1/3 of the season in the American Hockey League, he did not get his name on the cup. Pittsburgh did give him a day with the Stanley Cup, and a Stanley Cup ring. On June 22, 2017, the Penguins re-signed Ruhwedel to a two-year, $1.3 million extension with an annual average of $650,000.
Personal
Chad Ruhwedel was raised in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego and attended Scripps Ranch High School, where he starred on the roller hockey team.
