Rutger McGroarty opens up on the early struggles in his NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins

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Tom Banks
October 30, 2024 (11:06 PM)

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Rutger McGroarty came to Pittsburgh after several big demands in Winnipeg, and now reality in the NHL appears to have hit him very, very hard.

The past 12 months have been a rocky road for Rutger McGroarty, as the former Winnipeg Jets top prospect demanded a trade from the team, much to the disdain of Jets fans. That trade request also came with ridiculous demands that turned many teams off, with the reports stating that those demands «included a guarantee of substantial playing time and a role on the power-play.»

For a player yet to make his NHL debut, this was certainly not taken well, and after being sent down to the AHL before his new team returned to Winnipeg, the Jets fans in attendance certainly made their thoughts clear.

McGroarty's AHL demotion came just three games into his NHL career with the Penguins, and now, he has addressed the move from the Penguins and the jump to the best hockey league in the world, revealing that he may not have been as ready for the NHL as he once thought.

«You hear about the NHL your whole life, but you don't know what it's like until you're there,» McGroarty said. «For me, reflecting on it, coming down here, I can work on more things in the (offensive zone). I feel like defensively, I was good (with the Penguins), but in the (offensive zone), holding onto pucks, taking pucks to the net - you hear about the NHL and how fast it is, so you're trying to get pucks on and off your tape.

«I feel like there are opportunities for me to hold onto pucks and take pucks to the net or just create more by myself.»

For most rookies, making the jump immediately to the NHL is not easy, but after everything McGroarty put teams through, it's safe to say that reality hit him a little harder than most. We've likely not seen the last of McGroarty in the NHL this season, as he will use his time in the AHL to learn and adapt to the pro game, so hopefully when he gets back to the top league, there's a little more humility than what we've seen thus far.