Rutger McGroarty hasn’t been a Penguin for long and he is not wasting time trying to endear himself to the fan base. He spoke to the media and had a few things to say about his opportunity and his background.

Confident and ready to get to work.

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— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 28, 2024

“For me, I've been promised a spot at the (Prospects Challenge), and that's about it,” the 20-year-old forward said from Cranberry on Wednesday. “So, I feel like I'm going to get what I deserve, and I'm going to come ready to work for camp. I like where my game’s at right now, but I'm just excited to get to camp and hopefully leave a good impression on them.”

Deep down he knows he has a chance to make the big roster. He also knows it isn’t something that will be handed to him. Despite how desperate the Penguins are for an ELC contract to be a difference maker McGroarty is going to have to go out and make his mark come September. It doesn’t seem lost on him.

“I feel like everything's right here – the development path, the veteran guys that they have, the organization that they have and the town as well,” McGroarty said. “I went to a Pirates game on Monday, like, the sports town atmosphere is unbelievable. Then just talking to Kyle and (Assistant GM Jason Spezza), I feel like they're just two incredible hockey minds with a great development path for me.”

I’m sure McGroarty had his reasons for not wanting to join the Winnipeg Jets. With the trade in the rear-view mirror it seems like he is very excited for his new beginning and his upcoming role within the organization.

“I feel like I come to the rink every single day, work extremely hard and do everything with intent, and then hopefully drag other guys across the line with you and help them get better,” McGroarty said before adding with a laugh, “then I'm also a very vocal guy. I got a ton of energy. I'm always buzzing around. So hopefully, some of that is contagious energy that other guys can feed off of.”

One of McGroarty’s strongest traits is his motor. This will endear him to someone like Sidney Crosby and while it is early to pencil him in on a line with Crosby, the captain is never going to be upset with a skilled workhorse on his line. I think they will eventually play together. It is just a matter of how long it takes.

“I love winning. I love being a part of an atmosphere like that,” McGroarty said. “I feel like I've played on a lot of winning teams in my career. Obviously not to this extent in the NHL with guys like (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang), 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.”

I for one am more interested in September hockey than I’ve been in years and Rutger McGroarty is at the top of the list on why. I am really interested in how close he is to joining the big club. We haven’t had too many prospects with a top six perceived ceiling come along lately with a real chance at making the team.

Thanks for reading!

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