When asked about this weekend’s back-to-back preseason slate, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that the rosters for each game would be different with, perhaps, a few carryovers.
One of those carryovers has seen the ice this preseason more than any other player.
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Penguins’ top prospect Rutger McGroarty, acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in a shocking summer trade that sent former top prospect Brayden Yager to Winnipeg in exchange, is the only player on the Penguins’ training camp roster to be in the starting lineup for every preseason game.
It’s no secret that the Penguins’ organization – from coaches to management – are excited about what they have in McGroarty.
“We’re really excited about him becoming part of our group here,” head coach Mike Sullivan said after practice on Thursday. “He’s got a high hockey IQ, he’s a competitive guy, and I think he makes a lot of subtle plays out there that might go unnoticed to the casual fan. But we really like his game. I think he has the potential to be a really impactful player for us.”
There are still some areas of improvement that Sullivan would like to see from McGroarty, most notably the “pace of play” and the “strength of the game.” Up to this point, he has gotten the chance to play alongside some NHL talent in preseason games – such as Drew O’Connor and Cody Glass – but Sunday will be McGroarty’s first real test playing within a predominantly NHL-focused lineup against predominantly NHL-level competition, something that hasn’t happened all at once for him yet.
It remains to be seen if McGroarty will line up next to one of the “big guys” in Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, something that folks haven’t yet seen in training camp. Either way, this weekend could act as a litmus test for the coaching staff to see how well the 20-year-old winger handles the adjustment, especially if he slots high in the lineup on Sunday.
Related: Here’s What the Final Penguins’ Roster Will Probably Look Like
And playing against NHL competition – and within an NHL lineup – is something that McGroarty has been ready for since the onset of training camp. Sullivan and general manager and president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas have praised him for his high hockey IQ, and Sullivan has said that McGroarty has the ability to play a “speed game” through the way he thinks the game.
McGroarty knows his hockey smarts are a strength, and it comes through in his thoughtful answers to questions. When asked if there is anything else he wants to work on and show throughout camp, he gave a cool, confident, detailed response.
Related: Penguins Training Camp Day 6: A Tale of Two Teams, Roster Cut to 52
“I would say just continuing to get comfortable with this level,” McGroarty said. “I feel like I am getting more comfortable… so just continuing to get better and grow in that aspect. And, then, just little things, little stick details, learning how to get better passes through. Obviously, these guys’ stick pressure is way better than college hockey, so I would say just different routes, different area passes, laying pucks off the boards, letting guys skate into it instead of just a direct pass, stuff like that.”
McGroarty knows what kind of player he is, and he also knows his game well enough to know what he’s doing – and what he’s not – when he’s at his best. Whether a spot on the NHL roster is earned now through these preseason matchups or later on this season through his work in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he’s going to keep working as hard as he can to earn opportunities.
“I love hockey,” he said. “It’s my life, I surround everything around it, and I come into the rink with the same energy every single day. I seriously just come to work every single day. So hopefully, I leave a good impression in that aspect.”
Related: Where does Rutger McGroarty fit in the Penguins’ lineup?
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