McGroarty's off-ice work paying off ahead of 2022 NHL Draft

The 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The first round will be July 7 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are July 8 (11 a.m. ET; NHLN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at forward Rutger McGroarty of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Rutger McGroarty
certainly has the skill set to be an elite prospect for the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
Now the forward with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team has started to see how learning the off-ice component can help him improve his on-ice play even more.
"This past summer was my first time really lifting heavy weights and working on [plyometrics] and that kind of stuff," McGroarty said. "And I have definitely already seen a big improvement with my skating. There's still a little ways to go, but I'm excited.
"It was a big eye-opener for me just because never really doing it. I also didn't have a skating coach until this summer. Everything I've done was kind of just all natural, just how my body was. So just seeing the extra work you can do off the ice was definitely a big eye-opener with how much it helps you."
McGroarty led the NTDP with 35 goals in 54 games and was fourth with 69 points this season. It's a significant jump from the 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists) he had in 53 games with the NTDP Under-17 team last season.
"He's a power forward with skill," said Adam Nightingale, the NTDP coach the past two seasons. "He reminds me a lot of [New York Islanders forward] Anders Lee where he's a bull around the net, he's a bull in the corners. He can really finish, he can make plays, and where he's really dangerous is below the top of the circles. Not that he doesn't create off the rush, he's smart and all that. But you get the puck down below the top of the circles and whether it's a cutback, puck protection or take the puck to the net or make a play in the slot, being a net presence, all those things that a power forwards needs to do, that's the strength of his game."

McGroarty was able to play that power forward style in part because of the added strength that came from his offseason workouts, especially the added leg strength that improved his skating.
"Definitely the skating has been the biggest thing," he said. "But like in corner battles, or even with shooting, just the extra arm workouts that we do, it just adds that much more power to your shot. So it's kind of helped me in every aspect of my game, but the biggest thing would be the skating for sure."

Scouts certainly saw the improvement in McGroarty's game; he's No. 22 in
NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters
.
"Rutger is a consummate leader," NHL Central Scouting senior manager David Gregory said. "He has an elite level of competitiveness and hockey sense that allows him to be undenied when enforcing his game. He can put his team on his back and change the momentum of a game to his team's advantage. He has an NHL-ready shot that he can get off extremely quickly. He got stronger from last season and uses this to impact the game in all situations and all 200 feet of the ice."
The weight room was just one of the challenges McGroarty has faced during his development. He was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, a state that has produced four NHL players, all of whom are from Omaha.
McGroarty did have one advantage: his father, Jim McGroarty, was coach of Lincoln of the United States Hockey League, which meant pretty much unlimited ice time, and the benefit of being around older players he could look to as role models.
"It's kind of a dream come true," Rutger said. "You get the free rink time for yourself. … After school I'd go to the rink, skate for a few hours, hang out in the locker room with the guys. It was a dream come true."

McGroarty played in area youth leagues, but a trip to the Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament as a 10-year-old led to the opportunity of playing for the famed Detroit HoneyBaked youth program.
"My dad and I would move up for the hockey season and then I'd come back to Lincoln for the summers," McGroarty said.
Jim McGroarty said the opportunity for Rutger to test himself against the best players at his age was something the family couldn't pass on.
"It's not the perfect idea but it was the perfect fit for Rutger," he said. "If he ever thought that there was going to be an opportunity … that's what we thought as a family, if we did this it would help Rutger live out his dream. And fortunately everything has come to fruition so far. No better place than Michigan to go and play against the best."
The competition and exposure helped McGroarty earn a spot with the NTDP, and he was made captain of the U-18 team this season.
"He was very well-respected by his teammates so he was at the top of the list there," Nightingale said. "And then that our staff were just watching how guys interact. I think with Rutger, he's a team guy and he's committed to playing team hockey. He's got a heart for others. I think that's important. When you're a leader you have to put others first. You've still got to challenge them and hold them accountable and he's able to do that. I think he also has a good feel for when guys are having a hard time and you need to be there to support them too. Just a combination, all those things, and obviously a really good player so he's done a nice job."

McGroarty said his leadership ability came from all those days in the Lincoln locker room as a kid.
"I feel like I've matured a little bit quicker than some kids just with being in that juniors locker room and hearing the conversations that they have and how serious they take it," he said. "I feel like I just learned that a little bit quicker and I brought that into youth hockey and it's only improved since I've come to them to the NTDP."
His teammates certainly benefitted from his leadership.
"He's a really good leader," defenseman Lane Hutson said. "He leads by example as well as just leads our team using his voice. He's a guy who takes it serious and we all look up to him. He's a really good guy to watch. Can learn a lot from him."
After the gains McGroarty made last offseason, he'll be back at it this summer to see what more he can gain as he prepares to play at the University of Michigan next season, and then hopefully the NHL.
"He's just kind of tapping into that," Nightingale said. "So he's just going to keep getting stronger."
Photos:Rena Laverty / USA Hockey's NTDP
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