Mt. Lebanon native Matt Bartkowski comes 'full circle' in Penguins' camp
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ facility in Cranberry is named after franchise icon Mario Lemieux.
Arriving in Pittsburgh in 1984, Lemieux inspired a few generations of Western Pennsylvanians to take up hockey.
To illustrate Lemieux’s impact on the region, pictures of area players who have reached the NHL adorn the walls of UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, complete with a brief bio of their professional accomplishments.
One of those players is on the ice participating in the Penguins’ training camp hoping to add a few more paragraphs to his story.
Matt Bartkowski, a native of Mt. Lebanon, is attending camp on a tryout basis.
A veteran of 10 NHL seasons, Bartkowski — who refers to the team as “the Pens” with a slight hint of an accent rooted in the South Hills — has a chance to spend part of an 11th season in the jersey of the team for which he grew up rooting.
“Any kid growing up playing hockey here wants to play for the Pens,” said Bartkowski, who has far more memories of watching the team in Civic Arena than PPG Paints Arena. “I have an opportunity to do that now. So as far as full circle, yeah, 100 percent.”
That circle has taken Bartkowski all around North America over the past decade and change.
A seventh-round pick (No. 190 overall) of the Florida Panthers in 2008, Bartkowski spent two seasons at the NCAA level with Ohio State before turning professional in 2010.
Traded to the Boston Bruins that same year, he made his NHL debut in Pittsburgh, of all places, helping the Bruins claim a 4-2 road win Jan. 10, 2011, at what was then known as Consol Energy Center.
“It’s a surreal moment being able to play your first game in the league,” Bartkowski said. “Then being able to be here, it was really special. It was a special night.”
After five seasons in Boston, Bartkowski bounced between the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild before linking up with the Penguins this offseason.
Having spent more time at the American Hockey League (AHL) level than in the NHL over his professional career, Bartkowski, 33, is a longshot to earn an NHL contract with the Penguins coming out of camp and open the season on the NHL roster, especially given the surplus of left-handed defensemen the team has in the fold.
That said, the possibility of earning an AHL contract with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, then an NHL deal and a possible recall during the regular season, is a very real possibility.
“He’s a guy that gives us more depth at that position,” coach Mike Sullivan said. “Matt’s a good pro, and I think he understands circumstances. This is just the reality of pro hockey. There are some guys that have to play their way onto the roster. There are other guys that play their way off the roster.
“He’s a guy that understands it, and I think he’s had a strong camp so far.”
Bartkowski has a pretty strong idea of what he needs to do to wear a Penguins jersey in a game of consequence.
“Skating,” he said. “They’re big on skating. Making hard plays. I know it’s kind of cliched saying ‘play hard,’ but playing hard, playing tough and skating. Those are pretty big things.”
Note: Forward prospect Filip Hallander missed a third consecutive day of training camp because of an undisclosed injury. He has been labeled as “day to day.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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