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Rutger McGroarty, Pittsburgh Penguins (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

Penguins 2025-26 Player Previews: Rutger McGroarty

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jordan Orth | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 10:25 AM ET

As general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to look toward the future while putting a solid team on the ice currently, Dubas has worked his way into building up a farm system that was pretty bare when he took the reins. One of those pieces in the system was one of last offseason’s acquisitions, Rutger McGroarty, whom the Penguins got in a one-for-one trade with the Winnipeg Jets for prospect Brayden Yager.

Get to Know Rutger McGroarty

Age: 21 years old

Acquired: Traded to the Penguins from the Winnipeg Jets for Brayden Yager (Aug. 8, 2024)

Draft: 2022 1st Round, 14th overall by the Jets

Contract Status: Entering the second year of his three-year entry-level contract (ELC), with an average annual value (AAV) of $950,000.

2024-25 stats: NHL: Eight games played, one goal, two assists, three points; American Hockey League (AHL): 60 games played, 14 goals, 25 assists, 39 points

When McGroarty was brought to the Penguins, the hope was that he could become a building block for the organization’s future. To this point, he has shown flashes of that, and the further hope is that he can make the next jump to becoming a full-time NHL player this season. When he was acquired, he had yet to sign his ELC, which was part of why the Jets traded him. It did not take him long to do so with the Penguins, though, and through training camp and preseason last year, he earned a spot on the opening night NHL roster. While he made the roster, he struggled to get consistent playing time, let alone into the lineup on a nightly basis. He only played in three games at the NHL level at the beginning of the season before being sent down to the AHL to play with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Once in the AHL, McGroarty went through a bit of an adjustment period with his play. He did not shy away from shooting the puck and being around the play, but the overall offensive production did not come right away. However, as he gained more confidence and consistency in his game, the points started to come. He finished his rookie season at the AHL level with 39 points in 60 games before earning a late-season call-up back to the NHL alongside Ville Koivunen. His second stint with the Penguins went a lot smoother than the first one did. The second time around, he looked and played like he belonged and played with a stronger confidence and all-around game. He scored his first career goal on April 3 against the St. Louis Blues, and tallied three points in the five games he played at the end of the season.

2025-26 Outlook

As mentioned before, the hope heading into this season is that McGroarty can earn a spot on the opening night roster again and, this time, stick around for the whole season. He has hit a bump in the road, though, as Dubas has deemed him week-to-week with an upper-body injury. If he can return to the ice before the regular season and possibly play in a preseason game and show he is fully healthy and capable, he still has a strong chance to make the roster. He has also played for new head coach Dan Muse at the international level with Team USA and the United States National Developmental Program (USNTDP), so there is familiarity between the two that could work as chemistry this season as well.

While the injury does put a damper on the possibility of seeing McGroarty playing a full preseason or possibly starting the season on time at all, there should still be plenty of optimism for the youngster to make an impact at the NHL level this season. If he can build off a strong finish between the AHL and his late-season call-up, there is a chance that he can become a top-six forward for the organization this season and make a strong impact. With players like him, Koivunen, and the 2025 draft class, among others, there are plenty of building blocks in place that could very easily become impact players very soon.