Courtesy of Ryan Remiorz
The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired 20 year old forward Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for 19 year old forward Brayden Yager. McGroarty, a 2022 draftee was picked by the Jets with the 14th pick. Yager was selected 14th overall in 2023.
One Canadian and one American, both boys took very different paths for junior hockey. McGroarty stayed in America and played NCAA hockey for the University of Michigan, where he played for two years. Yager stuck to the WHL and played for the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Courtesy of @yages29 on Instagram
While Yager had just recently signed his entry level contract with the Penguins in late July, McGroarty had previously stated that he would be returning to play his junior season at the University of Michigan. Many believe he would have been named captain or an alternate/assistant. Instead just hours after the trade was announced, he signed his entry level.
Courtesy of Doug Wescott
Last season Yager played 57 games in the regular season for Moose Jaw, scoring 35 goals and recording 60 assists for a total of 95 points. He played in 20 playoff games, scoring 11 goals and had 16 assists for 27 points in the Warriors run to the WHL Championship, where they beat the Portland Winterhawks in four games. Yager featured on the Canadian team for the World Juniors where he played five games and scored 2 goals and three assists. The centerman upped his game after his draft year, where he had 78 points (28 goals and 50 assists) in 67 games for Moose Jaw.
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In his sophomore season at Michigan, McGroarty played 36 games, where he had 16 goals and 36 assists for a total of 52 points. He also captained the USA to gold at the IIHF World Juniors where he scored five goals and four assists in seven games. He upped his game after his freshman season where he played in 39 games and had 39 points (18 goals and 21 assists).
While it is not public knowledge as to why McGroarty would not play with the Jets, even after performing well and taking on a leadership role during development camp last summer, the situation is quite similar to the Cutter Gauthier and Philadelphia Flyers situation from January of this year. A trade involving McGroarty was not surprising to many hockey fans but the involvement of Yager is what was most surprising as he was a bright light in the Penguins organization and was looked towards for the future of the club.
The future of these two players have not been decided yet, whether they will play in their respective AHL teams or will make their NHL debut soon but either way, an interesting transaction to keep your eye on throughout the season.
Edited by Giana Robertaccio
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