The Pittsburgh Penguins don't have an obvious player who is next on the trade block. It was an eventful offseason for one of the Pittsburgh Penguins youngest faces, 25-year-old Drew O’Connor. After representing team USA at the IIHF World Championship, O’Connor returned to his alma mater of Dartmouth University for more than just pre-Penguins training camp workouts. Dartmouth shared that O’Connor had also returned to classes and worked toward finishing his degree. According to Dartmouth’s website, [https://dartmouthsports.com/news/2023/9/7/mens-ice-hockey-o-connor-proves-there-are-a-lot-of-reasons-to-come-to-dartmouth.aspx] O’Connor slowly worked toward his degree in sociology and finally finished the required credits this past summer. O’Connor initially left Dartmouth after his sophomore year to play professionally with the Penguins, but he knew finishing school would be important. "Getting the degree is the biggest thing that drew me back to campus," he said. "When I left school originally after my sophomore year, a lot of the conversation with my parents and coaches emphasized making it a priority to get back here and finish." When the world shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, O’Connor was able to speed up the process with online classes. While completing classes this summer, O’Connor also worked out and trained on Dartmouth’s home rink, Thompson Arena. During playing time at Dartmouth, O'Connor recorded 59 points in 65 games. O’Connor will begin the 2023-24 season with his name on a few important pieces of paper; a new two-year NHL contract and a degree from an Ivy League university. Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins [http://insidethepenguins.com/]for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. Former Penguins President Named to United States Hockey Hall of Fame [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-brian-burke-united-states-hockey-hall-fame] Penguins Most Underrated Move of Summer [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-most-underrates-move-summer] Penguins Need Core To Stay Healthy Again [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-need-core-stay-healthy] Former Penguins Forward Suspected of Aggravated Drunk Driving [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/news/pittsburgh-penguins-kasperi-kapanen-suspected-aggravated-drunk-driving] Penguins Got Better but Not Guaranteed Playoff Spot [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/pens-talk/pittsburgh-penguins-not-guaranteed-playoff-spot] * undefined * undefined Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTkwMDEyNjI0OTM4MzYw/img_6014.jpg]
