Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Two weeks after Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Rutger McGroarty made his AHL debut, he found the scoresheet for the first time Wednesday night.
McGroarty got an assist for his first AHL and professional hockey point on Wednesday night. Through five games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, McGroarty has one assist and is a minus-5.
While the beginning of McGroarty’s season after being granted a trade from the Winnipeg Jets has not gone to plan, it’s important to remember he is still only 20 years old and has time to develop into an effective player for Pittsburgh.
Koivunen gets his first goal of the season, and McGroarty tallies his first AHL point! pic.twitter.com/YnU1k5nlfe
— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) October 30, 2024
The Jets selected Rutger McGroarty 14th overall in the 2022 NHL draft. They envisioned McGroarty as a promising prospect who would slowly build his way to the big leagues. As a result, a path to NHL playing time this year did not appear guaranteed in Winnipeg. McGroarty reportedly then wanted to start his NHL career with a different team, and he got it as he was traded to the Penguins this summer in exchange for Brayden Yager.
After signing an entry-level contract, McGroarty cracked the Penguins’ NHL roster this season. That lasted all but four days, as Pittsburgh assigned McGroarty to the AHL after only playing three games. During that time, he averaged 11:37 of ice time with no points and was a minus-1.
#NHLJets fans with the, “Where is Rutger?” chant. pic.twitter.com/LA4jMEYMw9
— Carter Brooks (@CBrooksie84) October 20, 2024
Sending McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton isn’t out of the ordinary. It helps the team figure out how McGroarty can handle professional hockey, and for McGroarty, it gives him time to improve his play and develop his skills.
McGroarty told triblive.com before his fifth AHL game on Wednesday that while he felt he was good defensively in his first three NHL games, he can work on holding onto pucks, taking them to the net and creating more offensive opportunities in the AHL.
“You hear about the NHL your whole life, but you don’t really know what it’s like until you’re there,” McGroarty said.
After not recording any shots in his first two AHL games, he responded with a total of nine in the following three games.
The NHL Penguins could certainly use the help on offense, as they currently sit at the bottom in the Metropolitan Division with 2.92 goals-for per game. With an aging core, time is running out, but McGroarty can help prolong the competing window and transition to a new era once he develops his skills and takes advantage of more opportunities in the AHL.
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News Summary:
- Penguins' Top Prospect McGroarty Has Time To Develop In AHL After Finding Scoresheet
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.