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Rutger McGroarty fesses up to major mistake in Pittsburgh!
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Rutger McGroarty fesses up to major mistake in Pittsburgh!

Find out what led to Rutger McGroarty being sent down to the AHL by the Penguins and what he needs to do to get back in their good graces.

Chris Gosselin

Earlier this month, the Pittsburgh Penguins assigned forward Rutger McGroarty to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League. After playing three games in the NHL and recording no points and a minus-one rating, McGroarty got the message from the Penguins ahead of a game that would have seen him play against his former team the Winnipeg Jets. Instead, he was down in the AHL while the fanbase in Winnipeg taunted him at Canada Life Centre, chanting “Where is Rutger?” during the Jets’ 6-3 victory.

When the Penguins acquired McGroarty via trade by the Jets earlier this offseason, they knew what had happened in Winnipeg. The rookie forward did ask out of Winnipeg with pundits and media members reporting that he had a bad attitude. It was also said that when the Jets first attempted to move him, McGroarty had caused the deal to fall apart due to unreasonable demands, “including a guarantee of substantial playing time and a role on the power-play.”

However, on Wednesday, McGroarty fessed up to his mistake and revealed to the Pittsburgh Post Tribune that he may not have been ready for the NHL after all.

“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, reflecting on it, coming down here, I can definitely 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’s definitely opportunities for me to hold onto pucks and take pucks to the net or just create more by myself.”

McGroarty is enjoying his time learning and getting some ice time in the AHL. He will suit up for his fifth AHL game Wednesday and is now on the baby Penguins’ top line at left wing. He has yet to record a point, but he is getting chances and wants to improve.

“I’m still 20 years old, so this is my first good kick at the can with pro hockey,” McGroarty added. “So just kind of getting used to the pro game, getting used to the schedule and taking advantage of every day. That’s the biggest thing, caring about my development, attacking every day and just keep getting better and better.”

When he sent down McGroarty, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas had mentioned how he did not want the young player sitting in the press box, instead for him to get some playing time.

That’s what’s happening for the rookie, who is also learning from his mistakes and probably becoming a better teammate for it.