His mother cried, and coach Mike Sullivan is working him onto the penalty-killing unit. Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty will most likely make his NHL debut Wednesday night when the Penguins begin their 2024-25 season against the New York Rangers, but part of the fun was telling everyone that he made the team.
McGroarty didn’t have a special moment or meeting with coaches to get the good news. Instead, the teams’ and players’ 21st-century media needs to provide fans with an inside look to let the cat out of the bag. Of course, the litany of Penguins injuries that will bridge the preseason and regular season probably clued him into the possibility, too.
“The PR team called me and was like, ‘Hey, you’re on the roster. We have to send out a press release,” said McGroarty. “We want to videotape you telling your family for the first time. And so, yeah, that was obviously a pretty special moment for me and my family.
“My mom. She’s a ball baby. So, she started crying. She was so happy for me and just seeing how hard I’ve worked (over) the past couple of years. And God has a plan for me. It was really cool, and it was a special moment for us, especially for my dad. I mean, him and I–he’s taught me pretty much everything I know about hockey.”
McGroarty has been waiting for his NHL shot for two years since the Winnipeg Jets drafted him 14th overall. Or, perhaps the NHL has been waiting for McGroarty. The winger comes from the powerhouse University of Michigan, which has been pumping top talent into NHL pipelines for the last few years. Beginning with first-overall pick Owen Power in 2022, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, Luke Hughes, Frank Nazar, and McGroarty have bounced out of Big Blue.
McGroarty confirmed that the teammates who would have been the Class of 2026 take annual trips together, but this year, it will have to wait because many of them are playing professional hockey.
Nazar just missed making the Chicago Blackhawks out of training camp. He was McGroarty’s linemate for the last couple of seasons, but it is indicative of the talent coming out of Ann Arbor.
However, the top of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s lineup is full, and McGroarty’s game has a little way to go toward completion. So, Sullivan will thrust McGroarty into a scoring third-line roll with some penalty-killing duties.
“The way most players come into the NHL is through a third or fourth-line role,” Sullivan said over the weekend.
Tuesday, Sullivan expounded on the PK role for McGroarty.
“We like this hockey IQ. We think he has an aptitude for the game. He’s a good player on both sides of the puck,” Sullivan said. “When we’re talking about our player group and what the lineup looks like, we’re trying to make sure that we cast players in certain roles where, No.1, they can play to their strengths, but also keep them involved in a way that that makes them feel valued as part of the group, and it helps us get them minutes in the game.”
Last season, McGroarty had 52 points, including scoring 16 goals last season at Michigan. He wrapped the preseason with an eye-popping performance on center Lars Eller’s line. Eller had a pair of goals and a pair of assists, while McGroarty had a goal and two assists.
It was one of those performances which otherwise forced coaches to keep him around.
