PITTSBURGH – Colin White has played three games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and is already earning an opportunity within their top six forward group. Late in their loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Mike Sullivan bumped White to the Penguins second line alongside Evgeni Malkin and Drew O’Connor.
As the Penguins returned home from a disastrous run out west, they kept that second line formation and that could very well be the group that sticks going forward. The trio of Malkin, O’Connor, and White isn’t exactly what everyone expected heading into the season, but there is potential.
Sullivan spoke on what White brings to the Penguins and more specifically that second unit.
“I just think Whitey is a guy that has a defensive conscience,” Sullivan said. “He can play center, he can play the wing. He has a defensive conscience. He has an awareness away from the puck. I think he can bring that to Geno’s line.”
White briefly played with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel and was on the ice when those two connected for a goal, but White seems to be gaining a good level of comfort.
This is far from White’s first run in the NHL as he closes in on 300 games played and is not long removed from helping the Florida Panthers make a run to the Stanley Cup Final. It was his defensive mindset that helped get the Panthers that far, and he hopes to bring that same spunk to the Penguins.
“For me it’s just playing simple and with confidence,” White said. “Being good in my D-zone leads to some good offensive chances.”
White worked his way through the PTO and earned a contract with the Penguins and started the 2023-24 season at the AHL level. In 21 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, White scored five goals and five assists for 10 total points.
To make the jump from the AHL to the Penguins second line with a future Hall of Famer like Malkin must feel a little jarring. White says it’s exciting but knows his style of play is what got him to this point. He won’t overthink things and will stick to what’s worked.
“It’s a great opportunity,” White said. “You can’t think too much of it. Just got to play my same game and good things will come from that.”
White is still waiting on that first point with the Penguins, but the coaching staff has already showed their faith in the steady forward.
“It helps you as a player,” White said on the push he’s receiving from the coaching staff. “It makes it fun coming to the rink.”
The Penguins might not see White in the top six for long, but he’s looking forward to taking full advantage of the opportunity that is being presented to him.
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