Despite a slow start statistically, Rutger McGroarty is earning praise for his performance, attitude in the AHL

WILKES-BARRE – Making the Pittsburgh Penguins’ roster out of training camp and making his NHL debut with the club in early October represented a dream come true for Rutger McGroarty.

But after three games, the Penguins sent him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League on Oct. 16.

Penguins management believes McGroarty will be able to see more minutes and play a bigger role overall with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins than was on the table in Pittsburgh.

In the end, McGroarty didn’t resent being offered the AHL, and he didn’t view it as a demotion but instead, an opportunity to continue refining his overall game.

“You hear about the NHL your whole life, but you don’t really know what it’s like until you’re there,” McGroarty said. “For me, when I think about it, coming down here, I can work on other things (in the offensive area). I feel like defensively, I was good (with the Penguins), but (offensively), holding on to pucks, getting pucks to the net – you hear about the NHL and how fast it is, so you try to get them on and off your tape.

“I feel like there are opportunities for me to hold on to pucks and take pucks to the net or just create some on my own.”

McGroarty made his debut against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on October 18, appearing as a right winger on the team’s third line.

The next evening, he switched to left wing, again on the Penguins’ third line.

As he prepares to suit up for his fifth AHL game on Wednesday, McGroarty has played the last two on the Penguins’ top line at left wing.

Coach Kirk MacDonald admitted he threw McGroarty last from the jump.

But MacDonald praised McGroarty’s ability to hack it into new territory.

“You’ve been great,” MacDonald said. “I think we probably didn’t give him a better chance last week – we just threw him in. He is punished, a new group – a difficult situation for any child. It’s a great learning experience, too, to deal with that little difficulty. You’re up (in the NHL), all these things are going on, you’re down – it’s a whirlwind the first time you go through all that. But he’s getting used to it very well.”

From a statistical perspective, the numbers would suggest that McGroarty, who has zero points in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, is off to a slow start.

But MacDonald said what he saw told a different story.

In particular, during the loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Oct. 25, MacDonald rated McGroarty as his team’s best player of the night.

“To me, the stat sheet doesn’t really reflect what he’s doing right now,” MacDonald said. “… If someone is looking for him, I think a lot will come in. To me, the math is like, eventually they will take care of themselves. It’s a long season.”

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McGroarty played two seasons at Michigan before the Penguins traded him in August, leading to his first NHL training camp and breakout season.

The 20-year-old enjoyed working under Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh and, so far, has developed a good relationship with MacDonald, who is in his first year at the helm in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

“Kirk has been great,” McGroarty said. “He’s a great coach, he loves his guys and I feel like he has a very smart hockey mind. I’ve sat with him (watching) video and his hockey mind is really amazing. It’s really nice to learn something from guys like these who have been playing the game for a long time, who look at the game through a good hockey lens.”

Playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton brought McGroarty on track with some of the Penguins’ top prospects, including forwards Ville Koivunen and Tristan Broz, and defenseman Owen Pickering.

Building bonds with them helped in the transition as McGroarty accumulated more AHL experience.

As was his goal in Pittsburgh, McGroarty aims to simply develop as a professional hockey player.

“I’m still 20 years old, so this is a good kick in the can with pro hockey,” McGroarty said. “So it’s just getting used to the pro game, getting used to the system and using the best every day. That’s the biggest thing, taking care of my growth, attacking every day and continuing to get better and better.”