Penguins President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas has emphasized that younger players in the organization have massive opportunities, as the team looks to get back into contention while balancing its short- and long-term goals.

The newest Penguins prospect, Rutger McGroarty, hopes to take advantage of his – while understanding he has to earn it.

“For me, I’ve been promised a spot at the (Prospects Challenge), and that’s about it,” the 20-year-old forward said from Cranberry on Wednesday. “So, I feel like I’m going to get what I deserve, and I’m going to come ready to work for camp. I like where my game’s at right now, but I’m just excited to get to camp and hopefully leave a good impression on them.”

The Penguins are excited about McGroarty’s potential to contribute in the near future, and leaped at the chance to acquire the 14^th overall pick in 2022 from Winnipeg. While he enjoyed his experiences there, McGroarty felt the best decision for his development moving forward would be to part ways with the Jets.

“My agents talked to them, and then I talked to them. I wanted to be upfront and honest with them, and just tell them that I wasn’t going to be signing with them,” McGroarty said. “I got nothing but respect for those guys, they handled it with a lot of class, and I wish them nothing but the best. But as I said, I’m fired up to get started here now.”

McGroarty signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Pittsburgh shortly after the trade was announced, ending his collegiate career at the University of Michigan after two seasons. He picked up 34 goals, 57 assists and 91 points in 75 games over that span.

While McGroarty – who spent his childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska before relocating to the state of Michigan at age 9 for more challenging opportunities there – will miss Ann Arbor, he can’t wait to start the next stage of his career with his new club.

“I feel like everything’s right here – the development path, the veteran guys that they have, the organization that they have and the town as well,” McGroarty said. “I went to a Pirates game on Monday, like, the sports town atmosphere is unbelievable. Then just talking to Kyle and (Assistant GM Jason Spezza), I feel like they’re just two incredible hockey minds with a great development path for me.”

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Dubas said it was a difficult call to include 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager in the deal as a one-for-one swap. But he felt that adding a blue-chip prospect like McGroarty was ultimately in Pittsburgh’s best interests with his combination of ability, leadership, and competitiveness. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, McGroarty is a power forward with skill and a strong hockey IQ who takes pride in his compete level.

“I feel like I come to the rink every single day, work extremely hard and do everything with intent, and then hopefully drag other guys across the line with you and help them get better,” McGroarty said before adding with a laugh, “then I’m also a very vocal guy. I got a ton of energy. I’m always buzzing around. So hopefully, some of that is contagious energy that other guys can feed off of.”

That’s part of the leadership McGroarty has been lauded for, which he honed growing up in a USHL locker room while dad Jim coached in the league. He wore an A with the Wolverines as a sophomore, and captained Team USA to the gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship, tallying five goals and nine points in seven games. McGroarty also donned the C at the 2022 Under-18 World Championship, winning silver at that tournament.

That maturity and confidence should benefit McGroarty as he joins an NHL franchise with high expectations. He couldn’t stop grinning as he considered the possibility of helping the Penguins find success.

“I love winning. I love being a part of an atmosphere like that,” McGroarty said. “I feel like I’ve played on a lot of winning teams in my career. Obviously not to this extent in the NHL with guys like (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang), 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.”