Rutger McGroarty is eager to join the Penguins

Dubas said it was a difficult decision to include 2023 first-round pick Brayden Yager in the deal as a one-for-one swap. But he felt signing a blue-chip talent like McGroarty, with his combination of skill, leadership and competitiveness, was ultimately in Pittsburgh's best interest. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, McGroarty is a power forward with skill and a high hockey IQ who prides himself on his level of competition.

“I feel like I come to the rink every day, work extremely hard and do everything with intention and then hopefully bring other guys along and help them get better,” McGroarty said, before adding with a laugh, “Then I'm also a very vocal guy. I have a lot of energy. I'm always pumped up. Hopefully some of that is contagious energy that other guys can feed off of.”

That's part of the leadership skills McGroarty is praised for, honed during his childhood in a USHL locker room while his father, Jim, coached in the league. As a sophomore with the Wolverines, he wore the A team and captained Team USA to the gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship, scoring five goals and nine points in seven games. McGroarty also wore the C team at the 2022 U18 World Championship, winning silver at that tournament.

That maturity and confidence should serve McGroarty well as he moves to an NHL team with high expectations, and he couldn't stop grinning as he thought about helping the Penguins win.

“I love winning. I love being 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 part of that atmosphere. I love being here. I love the hard work every single day. I love winning. So that makes me really excited and hopefully I can be a part of that.”