Kelsey SurmaczWed, December 3, 2025 at 4:59 AM UTC·5 min readIt's been a while since the Pittsburgh Penguins had a group of legitimate youth talent infiltrate the NHL roster.
But with the recall of top prospect Rutger McGroarty on Monday, it's yet another sign that the youth movement is on its way in full swing.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith his season debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday - which ended up a resounding 5-1 win for the Penguins - McGroarty became the 10th rookie to dress for the Penguins this season, which leads the NHL. He joined Ben Kindel, Joona Koppanen, Ville Koivunen, and Harrison Brunicke as the other rookies on the Penguins' active 23-man roster.
And the Penguins wasted no time giving three of those kids the chance to develop some chemistry.
McGroarty, Kindel, and Koivunen were put together on the third line against the Flyers, and it was a great start for them. According to Moneypuck, McGroarty had the fourth-highest expected goals total (0.48) behind only Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Tommy Novak.
And the line? They contributed a 68.1 percent expected goals share in their very first game together as a line.
Takeaways: Penguins Put Forth Dominant Effort In 5-1 Win Over FlyersTakeaways: Penguins Put Forth Dominant Effort In 5-1 Win Over Flyers For the first time in weeks, it felt like a winning result for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a> was never really in doubt throughout the game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I think, overall - from my perspective - they're just two really smart players who know where to put themselves on the ice," McGroarty said after Monday's game. "And, for me, just finding areas... if I find an open area, I know that they're going to find me. So, I had a couple in the first there that they found me, and I just gotta put 'em in the back of the net.
"But, it's good. We got some opportunities. Especially in the d-zone, I thought we did really well. I feel like, overall, it was a pretty good game from us."
In theory, this line could be lethal. McGroarty has the finishing ability, the two-way acumen, the size, and the smarts to be a consistent producer. Kindel has the hockey IQ, the playmaking ability, the forechecking prowess, and the top-notch passing skills to drive play for the line. And Koivunen has the vision, creativity, deceptiveness, and puck skills to be a complementary scorer and distributor.
Dec 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Ville Koivunen (41) controls the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesIt seems that, so far, the theory has come to practice, too.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"You never know how the game's gonna go," Penguins' head coach Dan Muse said after Monday's game. "I think it was five or six shifts there at five-on-five before special teams started to get in there. They didn't look like it was their first time playing together."
It's worth noting that it has only been one game, and jumping to any sort of conclusion about the kind of impact this line could have would be premature.
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby Closing In On More Penguins HistoryPenguins Captain Sidney Crosby Closing In On More Penguins History Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is very close to breaking another franchise record.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut the entire concept of a "kid line" - especially a third line - is intriguing all on its own.
Historically, the Penguins have been at their very best as a team with a functioning and formidable third line. That has included the likes of Jordan Staal, Matt Cooke, and Tyler Kennedy as well as the famous "HBK" line during the back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017, which featured Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel.
And the Penguins really haven't had a dangerous third line since those Cup runs. They had spurts of good play spread throughout the last seven or eight years, but not a line that gave opponents fits and operated at a very high level night-in and night-out.
Dec 1, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) shoots the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesIf all goes well, this "kid line" could be just what the Penguins need. They're a better team when they're able to roll four lines, and having that threat on the third line makes matchups for the opposition a nightmare.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMcGroarty is only 21. Koivunen is 22, and Kindel is still a teenager at 18. A lot can happen over the course of an NHL season and over the course of the next few years with youth continuing to populate the roster and mix in with veterans like Crosby, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, and Evgeni Malkin, should he re-sign.
But at the end of the day, this third line has potential. And if Monday's game was any indication of future performance, it might be the engine that helps drive the Penguins to the playoffs this season.
Penguins' Prospect Earns Two Honors In Same WeekPenguins' Prospect Earns Two Honors In Same Week There are a lot of <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>' prospects making noise in the pipeline this season, and the organization's prospect pool is looking deeper than it has in quite a long time.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Overall, it was great just playing with Ville again," McGroarty said. "Getting to play with Kindy... I mean, I've been watching him, and I was excited to maybe have the opportunity to play with him at one point, and [Monday] was the night. So, that was a lot of fun."
And these kids could sure be a lot of fun, too.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!
AdvertisementAdvertisement
