It's Only Been Six Games. But Rutger McGroarty Is The Real Deal.

Yes, it's only been six NHL games for Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty.

But through those six NHL games, something is becoming pretty clear, and it doesn't really feel like a stretch to say it:

This kid is the real deal. And he's only going to keep getting better.

After an impressive training camp that featured five points in six preseason games - and with three different forward injuries factoring in - McGroarty made the opening night NHL roster. He spent three games largely alongside Lars Eller - traded to the Washington Capitals in November - and Jesse Puljujarvi, whose contract was terminated by the Penguins in February.

In those three games, it was clear that McGroarty wasn't quite up to NHL speed. His skating and first strides needed a lot of work, his reads were slow, and the pace of play was a bit too much for him to handle. So, he was sent back to continue his development at the AHL level, and - even at that level - he had just one point in his first eight games. 

Fast forward six months later, and McGroarty has eight goals and 18 points in his last 19 AHL games and has played three NHL games on a top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust, registering a goal and three points in that time. 

His skating looks miles better than it did in October, although there's still work to be done. His production - between the AHL and NHL the last couple of months - is beginning to line up with expectations.

But those things aren't what makes him the real deal, a legitimate piece of the puzzle for the Penguins’ long-term future. 

No. What makes him special is his hockey brain.

Nowadays, the term “hockey-IQ” is a bit overused. It's almost a requirement for players to think the game on a higher baseline level than what it used to be in order for players to make it in the NHL. The game is significantly faster, and more specialized training has raised the bar for the bare-minimum talent requirement.

But that's definitely not something that applies to McGroarty. His hockey smarts are evident during almost every shift he plays: he's always in the right position, he anticipates and sees plays before they happen, and he has the ability to execute on those smarts. A lot of the details that aren't necessarily rounded out for players his age are already defining aspects of his game at 21 years old.

He's regularly beating opponents to the danger areas of the ice. He's regularly in hard on the forecheck and around the net front. He's regularly predicting where to hit teammates with backdoor, cross-ice, and seam passes. He's regularly showcasing his stick details and defensive acumen. And he reads off of Crosby as if he's been playing with him for three years, not three games.

That hockey sense and those details are part of a skillset that is not only highly valuable at the NHL level - particularly in order to have success with someone like Crosby - but also something that you simply cannot teach.

"He's on pucks, he's creating loose pucks, he's winning battles," Crosby said. "You saw there, on the goal in the third - the second goal [against the Dallas Stars] - he's in the right spot at the right time and makes a great play on his backhand.

"He's willing to do a lot of those little things. Those add up, and on top of that, he's got the ability to make plays. So, it's a good combination to have."

Again, it's only been six NHL games for Rutger McGroarty. A lot can happen over the course of NHL development for any young player. He could be point-per-game for the remainder of this season and not register a point in his first 15 games next season. There will be highs and lows, peaks and valleys in his development, just as there are for any young player.

But McGroarty just has it. And it's a bit tough to quantify that “it” on a stat sheet, but you can witness it game-in, game-out and shift-in, shift-out.

"He's been great, a kid who works extremely hard," Rust said. "He tends to be in all the right places, and I think that just shows how well he can think the game.

"The more he stays in this league and he plays his game, I think he's just going to keep getting better and better."

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