The 2025 version of our Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 countdown list concludes with the No. 1 player under the age of 25, one of the hopeful tentpoles of the next generation of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Rutger McGroarty.
Catch up on the previous entries for this year:
#1: Rutger McGroarty, C/LW
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds
Sports fans, understandably, aren’t always the biggest fans of rebuilds and the slow burn processes that come with tearing a team down to build it back up again.
That is where we find the 2025-26 Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that, by most indications, will not be vying for a playoff spot next spring, but rather a lucky ping pong ball bounce to accelerate a rebuild with a potential superstar successor to Sidney Crosby.
But even during these lean years, and the possible leaner years that may come once Crosby and company are gone, there are still bright spots that will shine through the team and players that are worth watching.
One of those players just may be 21-year-old Rutger McGroarty.
McGroarty made his NHL debut early in the 2024–25 season, appearing in a few games before being sent to the AHL to refine his game.
In the AHL, he registered 39 points in 60 games, but ended the year on a noticeable hot streak with 20 points in his last 24.
When recalled by Pittsburgh in late March, he made an immediate impact. Now seeing the ice alongside Crosby, he scored his first NHL goal against the St. Louis Blues, tying the game with less than 30 seconds remaining.
Reflecting on that experience, McGroarty said:
“I feel like at the end of the day, it’s just motivated me more to see that’s what I can do at that level, and I still have room to grow. I’ve been working my bag off trying to come into camp next year proving that I can play at this level for a full year and make an impact.”
While not projected to be a Crosby-esque force of nature, McGraorty figures to be a fixture in the Penguins’ top-six for years to come, thanks to traits like his leadership, competitiveness, and hockey smarts.
Scouting reports detail McGroarty’s ceiling as a prototypical power forward, noting his physicality, effectiveness in tight spaces and puck protection, but also his offensive prowess. Most see him projecting as a middle‑six winger who can occupy net‑front roles on the power play and provide secondary scoring.
Not a finished product yet
New Penguins head coach Dan Muse, who McGroarty played under at the U18 level, has a reputation as a teacher and a coach who can effectively develop young NHL talent, which is what McGroarty will need if he’s to be relied upon as a more permanent fixture down the line.
Muse has been instrumental in McGroarty’s development to this point in his career, with the forward even saying as much.
“I think the first thing that stood out is just how much he cares about his players,” said McGroarty. “I think he’s very dedicated to the game and helping his team win. He put in really late hours and very early mornings. Like, it’s so cool to see. It makes it very easy to play for him.
“He’s such a detailed, awesome communicator and great coach,” McGroarty said. “I was a young guy that was getting called up, and they had a couple of different systems or whatever it was. He would talk to me about certain aspects of the game, stuff maybe within the system, he saw that would help me in the long run. Just a bunch of different things.
“I feel like he’s very dialed in, and he thinks that you can learn something from every day and get better every day. So, I think that he’ll fit very well into the culture that’s been set over the past 21 years that Sid’s been here and Malkin, and even the guys before them.”
The biggest knock on McGroarty has been his skating ability, more specifically, his foot speed. Working to improve his first few strides to separate from defenders and drive transition will be crucial for his development path.
Apr 8, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rutger McGroarty (2) shoots the puck as Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy (5) defends during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
McGroarty has shown impressive poise, hockey IQ, and a strong two-way game thus far. His development as a consistent scoring threat and possible penalty killer will be something to watch for this season.
At just 21, and with fewer than 10 NHL games under his belt, the sky remains the limit for one of the best forward prospects the Penguins have had in their system in some time.
We’ll soon see if he continues to share the ice with No. 87 and learns on the job as the Penguins brace for what could be another underperforming campaign.
But McGroarty’s continued development into a top-six winger could be one of those lone bright spots.