Rooney played in eight straight games but will sit as a healthy scratch on Friday night. Rooney will be replaced by Jesper Bratt, who sat out of the last two games with an upper-body injury.

Rooney appeared in the final four games before the All-Star break but was sent back for the duration of the break. He returns to New Jersey, where he has one goal in nine games while averaging 9:24 TOI/gm.

Rooney, 25, has not registered a point in four games with the Devils this season but has 17 points (1G / 16A) in 34 games with Binghamton. There is no word whether or not he will play in his 10th career NHL game on Thursday.

Rooney is known for his play on the defensive side of the puck and his penalty kill ability, so it’s not that surprising to see he has not recorded a point in two games with the Devils this season. Kurtis Gabriel was recalled to take his spot on the roster.

Rooney made his season debut with the Devils on Saturday, but went back to the AHL post-game. Rooney is one of the best penalty killers in the Devils organization, but doesn’t bring a lot of offence to the table—just 34 points (14G / 20A) in 71 games with Binghamton last year.

Rooney, 23, has registered 17 points (10G / 7A) in 57 games with Albany this season and signed his entry-level deal on Monday. There’s no word whether Rooney will make his NHL debut on Thursday in Washington.