One of the youngest faces on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster isn't afraid to play with some edge.

PITTSBURGH – At first glance, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jonathan Gruden may not strike you as a fighter. Standing at a clean six feet tall and 172 pounds, Gruden isn’t much of a scrapper but says he isn’t afraid to mix it up.

In the Penguins’ recent win over the Carolina Hurricanes, Gruden was involved in his first career NHL fight. Gruden laid a big hit against Jack Drury, which a few Hurricanes’ players weren’t too happy about.

Gruden was chased briefly before Stefan Noesen caught up to him and engaged in combat. There’s a strange theme going around the league this year where players are being forced to fight over clean hits they put on opponents. Gruden believes it’s just part of the game.

“I just try and finish my hits,” Gruden said. “It happened so quick, honestly. I got no problem answering the bell.”

The fight ended about as quickly as it started, as Gruden lost his balance and fell to the ice. Noesen continued to throw a few punches while Gruden was down, but once again, Gruden brushed those extra hits off.

“The fight happened so quickly. Maybe he wanted to get some punches in,” Gruden said. “It’s all good.”

In Penguins’ circles, Gruden is known as a depth defenseman who excels on the defensive side of the puck. His skating is coming along, and he’s starting to see a much more regular spot in the NHL lineup.

Perhaps everyone should note that Gruden has an edge and isn’t afraid to throw his hands up if he needs to. Since joining the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins before the 2020-21 season, Gruden has put together a nice fight card.

Gruden has 13 fights at the AHL level, including three days before his first NHL fight. He usually comes up on the losing end of his bouts, but he isn’t afraid to provide a physical boost for his team.

The Penguins stated after the game that Gruden’s fight with Noesen provided a boost of energy to the team and helped keep the momentum in their favor. There aren’t many fighters left in the NHL, but having players still willing to drop the gloves can add some much-needed edge.

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