The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward prospect Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets in the summer of 2024 with the hope that he’d quickly translate his success at the NCAA to the pro ranks, and become an NHL player in short order. While that hasn’t happened just yet, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reported today that “many in the Penguins organization have been blown away by how dominant McGroarty looked” in his two AHL games this season, noted that “it won’t be much longer until” McGroarty is elevated to Pittsburgh’s NHL roster.

It’s been a bit of a bumpy road for McGroarty at the pro level, as he not only struggled with some injuries, but also found his sub-par skating to be a larger barrier to his ability to impact a game than most likely expected. Yohe wrote that McGroarty “look

See Full Page