Penguins A to Z: Drew O'Connor continues to grow
As the NHL prepares for a new season scheduled to start in mid-January, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 48 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Drew O’Connor
Position: Left winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 22
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 190 pounds
2019-20 NCAA statistics: 30 games, 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists)
2020-21 Eliteserien statistics: Seven games, 10 points (six goals, four assists)
Contract: First year of a two-year entry-level contract with salary cap hit of $925,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2022
Acquired: Undrafted free-agent signing, March 10, 2020
Last season: As a sophomore, Drew O’Connor was a dominant player for Dartmouth as he scored the fifth-most goals in the NCAA and was named the Co-Ivy League player of the year.
“Drew was the best player on the ice every game we played this season,” said Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy, a volunteer coach at Dartmouth last season. “He’s fast, big, skates very well and can finish. Excellent skating through the neutral zone with the puck.”
A power forward, O’Connor benefited from a growth spurt that saw him sprout considerably from the 5-foot-9 he stood during his senior year of high school, and he became one of the more physically imposing players in the Ivy League last season. In addition to leading Dartmouth in scoring, he led the team with 42 penalty minutes.
After Dartmouth’s season came to an end in early March following a first-round exit from the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s (ECAC) postseason tournament, O’Connor drew quite a bit of attention from NHL teams as an undrafted free agent.
On March 10, O’Connor signed with the Penguins. Had the American Hockey League not halted play two days later because of the coronavirus pandemic, O’Connor would have likely joined the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout contract to finish out the 2019-20 season.
This season: Given that O’Connor had not seen much, if any, ice time over several months, the Penguins loaned him to Manglerud Star of Norway’s Eliteserien league on Oct. 26 to promote some development at a professional level, albeit in a league far from being one of the world’s best.
O’Connor’s stay in the Land of the Midnight Sun was brief, and it was interrupted by a stoppage because of coronavirus concerns in that country. But it was productive as he scored in six of the seven games he played for Manglerud.
As the NHL neared resolution to open the 2020-21 season, O’Connor’s loan was terminated in mid-December.
The future: Invited to the Penguins’ training camp, O’Connor was included with the main group of players expected to compose the NHL roster on the first day of practice Monday. And with forwards Zach Aston-Reese, Kasperi Kapanen and Colton Sceviour each absent for various reasons, O’Connor skated on the left wing of the fourth with mainstays Teddy Blueger at center and Brandon Tanev on the right wing.
It might be too early to pre-order an O’Connor Penguins jersey but being deployed as such over the likes of a veteran with more service time in the organization such as Sam Miletic or a former first-round pick such as Sam Poulin certainly reaffirms the repeated suggestions of general manager Jim Rutherford that O’Connor — who is now listed at 10 pounds less than the 200 he registered last season with Dartmouth — could be part of the team when the season starts.
In a fairly short period of time, O’Connor has grown quite a bit into becoming a legit NHL prospect.
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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