Which Penguins Prospects Are Ready to Make the Jump to the NHL in 26-27?
The 25-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, alongside their AHL affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, utilized youth throughout their seasons in a high-caliber way. Pittsburgh deployed 12 rookies during the season, with some playing just one game and others, such as Ben Kindel, staying in the city the whole time and playing 77 games. At the end of the day, only five of those 12 rookies had extended time at the NHL level, and any anger they had because of that fueled them, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton made it to the Eastern Conference Final. The anger and hunger that led them that far are highly influenced by their failure to stick in the NHL. Now, as their season ends and they prepare for the 26-27 season, many of these young prospects are ready to try again and make that push to the NHL. Many players who spent most of their time in the AHL made incredible strides over the season, consistently turning heads and earning praise from the Penguins’ president of hockey operations, Kyle Dubas.
One of Pittsburgh’s biggest waits has been for right-winger Rutger McGroarty. He played in 24 NHL games in the 25-26 season, but never got his groove and was sent back down for the remainder of the season. Being his second season in the Steel City, his first full one, many fans, along with the organization, expected he’d be ready, but he saw this season as another “year of learning.” The 22-year-old appreciates his split time between the NHL and AHL, however, as he said: “I think that being between two teams, kind of having two different roles, helped me a lot mentally, on and off the ice.” His play steadily improved as he turned opportunities into goals and assists, achieving a six-game point streak in the playoffs that extended into the Eastern Conference Final. The young winger knows he needs to keep playing consistently and execute the small details if he wants to stay with the Penguins and compete for a playoff spot, rather than just look to rebuild.
An extremely interesting and constantly improving prospect for Pittsburgh is defenseman Harrison Brunicke. The 20-year-old had a fantastic training camp ahead of last season, but couldn’t surpass that play once reaching the regular season, as he played just nine games for Pittsburgh before he was sent back down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was offered a chance by the Penguins to play for Canada’s World Junior Championship team, and then returned to the AHL in January, where he was a completely different player. Not only was the six-foot-three defenseman stronger, faster, and quicker on the puck, but he knew when to jump into the play and when to back off, something he had struggled with before. He has a unique ability to lead a rush into the offensive zone, and then instantly get back into his defensive position to stop any potential chances the opposing team may have off of a turnover. He proved through Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s playoff run that he is ready for a permanent jump to the NHL level, and he will do just fine once he’s there.
