yardbarker
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced the recall of top forward prospect Rutger McGroarty from their American Hockey League affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, prior to their matchup against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night.
The team already had an extra forward on the roster, so the reasoning behind the call-up remains unclear, and it is uncertain whether McGroarty will be inserted into the lineup.
McGroarty was last assigned to the AHL a week ago as NHL opportunities have been scarce for the 22-year-old.
He has been highly productive in the AHL, continuing his point-per-game pace from last season. Currently, he leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in scoring with 12 points in nine games.
A former star at the University of Michigan, McGroarty made it known that he was not interested in signing with the Winnipeg Jets, who selected him 14th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. The power forward sought a more immediate path to the NHL, though it was not necessarily a slight against the Jets organization.
In August 2024, he was traded to Pittsburgh in exchange for forward Brayden Yager, instantly becoming the club's top forward prospect with expectations of contributing alongside Sidney Crosby.
While McGroarty has shown promise at the AHL level, his NHL impact has yet to materialize. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound left-shot forward still needs to prove he can reach his top-six ceiling rather than settling for a middle-six role.
His skating mechanics have been a significant factor in his limited NHL offense, with just nine points in 34 career games. Last month, he averaged 13:40 of ice time over two games without registering a point, playing on the third line and seeing some power-play shifts.
In roughly 23 minutes of NHL ice time, McGroarty has received unusually defensive zone starts at five-on-five, with over 73% coming in his own end.
Pittsburgh has reportedly been ready to move out some veteran forwards but has been unable to maintain last season's 41-win pace. The team currently sits 28th in the league and has lost six of its last ten games, making a youth movement increasingly appealing.
Given that the Baby Penguins played in Charlotte on Monday night, it is more likely that Andrei Kuzmenko will draw into the lineup over McGroarty, who would have to travel to California. However, if the club did not fly out their important youngster merely to serve as an extra body, he could see his third game of the season on Wednesday night in San Jose.
Originally reported by yardbarker.