For the first time since being traded to the Penguins on August 22, Rutger McGroarty took to the podium in the Lemieux Sports Complex press room.
And he sounded like someone eager to make an impression on his new organization and his new city. So eager, in fact, that he signed his entry-level contract the same day he was traded to Pittsburgh.
“I feel like everything’s right here,” McGroarty told reporters at the presser. “I feel like the development path, the veteran guys that they have here, the organization that they have here, and the talent here, as well… I feel like it’s such a sports town.
Rutger McGroarty is here and happy to be part of the Penguins organization.
McGroarty on signing with Pittsburgh: “I feel like everything’s right here. The development path, the veteran guys that they have here, the organization they have here, and the town as well.” pic.twitter.com/cD1kWfJwd3
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 28, 2024
He continued: “And then, just talking to Kyle [Dubas] and Jason [Spezza], I feel like they’re just two incredible hockey minds with a great development path for me, and yeah, it was a no-brainer.”
The Winnipeg Jets traded McGroarty, their first-round pick in 2022 (14th overall), to Pittsburgh in a direct prospect exchange for then-Penguins top prospect, Brayden Yager. McGroarty explained that “it means a lot that [the Penguins] were willing to make a trade like that” for him.
He wanted to be transparent about his desire to move on from Winnipeg, and although he has “nothing but respect” for the Jets, he is eager to become a part of Pittsburgh’s longstanding championship culture and help the team get back on the right track. And he can’t wait to accomplish that alongside veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
“I love winning. I love being a part of an atmosphere like that,” McGroarty said. “I’ve played on a lot of winning teams in my career – obviously, not to this extent in the NHL with guys like that – 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.”
Although he mentioned there hasn’t been too much promised in terms of NHL playing time – which was, reportedly, one of the snags holding him back from signing in Winnipeg – he is eager to have the opportunity to prove himself in training camp and at the 2024 Prospects Challenge next month.
And breaking the roster out of camp?…