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Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty will be thrown right into the fire when he makes his National Hockey League debut against the reigning President's Trophy-winning New York Rangers at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday night.
The 20-year-old forward made the opening day roster after being acquired from the Winnipeg Jets in a one-for-one trade at the end of August.
“Playing in your first NHL game, obviously that's really cool,” McGroarty said ahead of his debut, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby. “But I mean, it's hockey. So continue to go out there. I'm still trying to stay up in the NHL now. So just go out there, continue to play my game and continue to leave an impression.”
McGroarty is a highly-touted prospect, being selected No. 14 overall by the Jets in the 2022 NHL Draft. He ripped up the Big Ten as a member of the University of Michigan Wolverines in 2023-24, scoring 16 goals and 52 points in just 36 games. That came after a standout rookie year with the program, where he chipped in 39 points in 39 contests.
The Lincoln, Nebraska native looks ready for the big leagues, and with Bryan Rust starting the season on injured reserve, he could play a key role for the Penguins right off the bat.
Rutger McGroarty could play a significant role for Penguins right away
Although Daily Faceoff projects McGroarty to begin the campaign alongside Lars Eller and Jesse Puljujarvi on the third line, he has the skill to play in the top-six.
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As it stands, Sidney Crosby has Drew O'Connor and Anthony Beauvillier on his wings on opening night. Neither of those players are very worthy of a first line spot, and if either falters, McGroarty could be a top option to get a chance beside of the game's greatest players.
He could also be an option to play on the second line with Evgeni Malkin in Rust's absence; the winger slots are currently being occupied by Rickard Rakell and Michael Bunting to start the year.
Along with Rust, the Penguins are missing Blake Lizotte (concussion), Matt Nieto (MCL surgery) and prospect Vasily Ponomarev (upper-body), which could open up more opportunities for the young winger.
Even in a bottom-six role, Pittsburgh will be relying on McGroarty to contribute right away — the Penguins don't have a ton of offensive depth at the best of times.
“He's a good player on both sides of the puck,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of the rookie on Tuesday, per Crosby. “We think Rutger's a guy that can help us both on the penalty kill and the power play. We'll feel that out and see where we think he fits best.”
McGroarty and the Penguins will look to get the season off to a good start in a Metropolitan Division clash with the Rangers on Wednesday night.
