PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Caleb Jones has been suspended for 20 games.
The NHL announced Wednesday that Jones had violated the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
The release stated that, under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, “The suspension is accompanied by mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program for evaluation and possible treatment.”
Jones, 28, is the younger brother of Florida Panthers standout defenseman Seth Jones.
Caleb Jones has played in 255 NHL games, including seven this season with the Penguins. He sustained a broken foot in a game against Florida in October and hasn’t played in the NHL since. Jones was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) but suffered an upper-body injury in his first game there in January.
Jones has also played in the NHL for the Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers. He was a regular in the lineup for most of October, and his skating ability impressing Penguins coaches enough to give him regular playing time during the team’s strong start to the season. Jones has one point and is a plus-1 on the season.
The Penguins signed Jones to a two-year, $1.8 million contract last summer. He is scheduled to be under contract again next season with a $900,000 cap hit.
Jones will be eligible to return to action when the Penguins play in Tampa on April 2.
The Penguins’ top three defensemen on the left side are pretty well set in Parker Wotherspoon, Brett Kulak and Ryan Shea. Jones, when healthy, would be competing with Ryan Graves and Ilya Solovyov for depth positioning, should one of the top three players on the left side sustain an injury.
While this does not immediately impact the Penguins at the NHL level, it does further a potential need for help on the blue line. Kris Letang recently sustained a broken foot, and the team said he will miss a minimum of four weeks. Meanwhile, another right-handed defenseman, Jack St. Ivany, has a broken hand and is expected to be out until late March.
Penguins president of hockey operations/general manager Kyle Dubas issued a statement shortly after news of Jones’ suspension was announced:
“Caleb Jones informed us this week that he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Throughout the process, Caleb has been forthcoming with the organization as to how he believes the positive test occurred. Caleb takes full responsibility for his actions, despite him being unaware that what he consumed was a prohibited substance at the time. The organization appreciates his transparency regarding this matter, and Caleb will follow all NHL and NHLPA protocols related to his suspension. Caleb has the full support of the Penguins organization, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the ice when he is cleared.”
Jones also released a statement through the NHLPA: “I have been informed of my positive test result and suspension under the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. At the time of the test, I was receiving an exosome therapy for a documented injury from an outside provider. I believe that my positive test was related to a contaminated substance associated with that treatment. While I did not use the prohibited substance intentionally or for performance enhancement, I understand that players are responsible for everything that enters their body and accept the discipline imposed by the program. I’m sorry to have let down my teammates, the Penguins organization, and our fans.”