Michigan hockey first-round pick traded to Penguins, expected to turn pro

Michigan’s 2024-25 roster took a major hit Thursday.

Forward Rutger McGroarty, who finished ninth in the country with 52 points last season, had his rights traded from the Winnipeg Jets to the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to multiple outlets, first reported by The Athletic, he is expected to sign his entry-level pro contract, foregoing his final two years of NCAA eligibility. The Jets are acquiring forward Brayden Yager, the No. 14 overall pick in 2023, in a swap of two top NHL prospects.

McGroarty, the No. 14 overall pick in 2022, reportedly had requested a trade this offseason after he and Winnipeg disagreed on his future with the organization. Two other Michigan early-round picks – Frank Nazar and Gavin Brindley, signed their entry-level deals with the Chicago Blackhawks, and Columbus Blue Jackets, respectively, after Michigan’s season ended in a national semifinal in April.

Both played in NHL games at the end of the year for teams that didn’t make the playoffs, but the Jets finished second in the Central Division and had one of the deepest forward groups in the league, limiting a potential pathway for McGroarty to enter the lineup.

In April, Michigan announced McGroarty was returning for his junior season, but many NHL experts mentioned the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder as a potential trade candidate.

A trade around the draft in June wouldn’t have been surprising, but a move this late in the offseason is unusual. McGroarty was expected to be a leader for a Wolverines team that lost four of its top six scorers from last year. In two years with the Wolverines, he recorded 32 goals and 57 assists in 75 games, playing a major role in the team reaching the Frozen Four both years.