“I’m Going to Come Ready to Work”: McGroarty Aims to Make Impression in Pittsburgh

For the first time since being traded to the Penguins on August 22, Rutger McGroarty took to the podium in the Lemieux Sports Complex press room.

And he sounded like someone eager to make an impression on his new organization and his new city. So eager, in fact, that he signed his entry-level contract the same day he was traded to Pittsburgh.

“I feel like everything’s right here,” McGroarty told reporters at the presser. “I feel like the development path, the veteran guys that they have here, the organization that they have here, and the talent here, as well… I feel like it’s such a sports town.

He continued: “And then, just talking to Kyle [Dubas] and Jason [Spezza], I feel like they’re just two incredible hockey minds with a great development path for me, and yeah, it was a no-brainer.”

The Winnipeg Jets traded McGroarty, their first-round pick in 2022 (14th overall), to Pittsburgh in a direct prospect exchange for then-Penguins top prospect, Brayden Yager. McGroarty explained that “it means a lot that [the Penguins] were willing to make a trade like that” for him.

He wanted to be transparent about his desire to move on from Winnipeg, and although he has “nothing but respect” for the Jets, he is eager to become a part of Pittsburgh’s longstanding championship culture and help the team get back on the right track. And he can’t wait to accomplish that alongside veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.

“I love winning. I love being a part of an atmosphere like that,” McGroarty said. “I’ve played on a lot of winning teams in my career – obviously, not to this extent in the NHL with guys like that – but I love being a part of that atmosphere. I love coming in. I love the grind every single day. I love winning. So, that makes me really excited, and, hopefully, I could be a part of that.”

Although he mentioned there hasn’t been too much promised in terms of NHL playing time – which was, reportedly, one of the snags holding him back from signing in Winnipeg – he is eager to have the opportunity to prove himself in training camp and at the 2024 Prospects Challenge next month.

And breaking the roster out of camp? It certainly won’t be easy.

With the acquisition of McGroarty, the Penguins now have a logjam of forwards competing for the final spots on the roster. Dubas added Cody Glass to the roster via trade earlier in August, and other new acquisitions such as Kevin Hayes, Blake Lizotte, and Anthony Beauvillier – as well as returning players in Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, and Valtteri Puustinen – all figure to make a good push for bottom-six roles.

McGroarty’s high upside, hockey smarts, positional versatility, and self-proclaimed “power game” would be wasteful to stash in the press box, so he’ll likely have to beat out some veteran forwards – as well as a few younger guys also looking to make an impression during camp this season – barring any other changes to the roster before the start of the season on October 9 against the New York Rangers.

It may not be easy, and there appear to be no guarantees. But McGroarty is ready for the challenge.

“I feel like I’m going to get what I deserve, and I’m going to come ready to work for camp,” he said. “And I like where my game’s at right now. I’m just excited to get to camp and hopefully leave a good impression on them.”

And he eagerly awaits an opportunity to, potentially, play with his childhood idol as well.

“Playing with Sidney Crosby… obviously, he’s the best player in the world, and I’ve grown up watching him play. And, so, it’s definitely crossed my mind. That would be very cool if I could one day do that.”

Only time will tell, but McGroarty appears to be on the fast track to a long career in a Penguins’ uniform.

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