Forward prospect Bennett MacArthur hopeful trade to Penguins revitalizes development

If Bennett MacArthur has his way, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be where he calls home for the upcoming season.

At least to start.

MacArthur, 23, is new to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, having been acquired in a June 30 trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Lukas Svejkovsky.

A left-handed shot from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, MacArthur showed promise in the ECHL but hit something of a plateau in advancing to the American Hockey League.

Over the last two seasons, MacArthur appeared in just six games for the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate.

Now, the 5-foot-11, 191-pound forward hopes a change in scenery works to his advantage.

“I think it was a really good thing for me,” MacArthur told TribLive at Penguins development camp in Cranberry. “When I heard I was going to a team like Pittsburgh, I was super excited. I’m just really excited for the new opportunity. I can kind of see it as a fresh start, so I think I’m going to use that as motivation, for sure.

“I got nothing but good things to say about the people in the (Lightning) organization. They brought me into the pro ranks and developed me for a couple years. I really thank them for their time. Sometimes you need a fresh start, but that’s pro hockey. I’m really excited to be here in Pittsburgh.”

It’s unclear as to whether MacArthur, who enters the final installment of a three-year entry-level contract worth $925,000 annually at the NHL level, will be assigned to the Wheeling Nailers or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

But regardless, there’s something the Penguins like about MacArthur, who was a 40-goal scorer in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before turning pro.

MacArthur was among the oldest players in attendance at Penguins development camp earlier in July.

But MacArthur looked at a few days’ worth of skating in Cranberry as a good chance to familiarize himself with his new organization and vice versa.

“I wasn’t planning on going to Tampa’s development camp because I’ve already been there for a few years,” he said. “But after the trade, (the Penguins) called me and said they’d like to meet me, get me out here and get me familiar with everybody. So it was a really great opportunity for me, and I took advantage of that.”

In 55 games last year split between the Allen Americans and Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, MacArthur scored 11 goals with 21 assists.

Those numbers were akin to what he produced with Orlando the previous year (10 goals, 18 assists) in his first pro hockey campaign.

Still, MacArthur believes he’s capable of more.

“Part of the reason I maybe didn’t have the best start in pro hockey that I wanted, I was trying to find my identity a little bit, but over the first couple years I really had to find that,” he said.

“I’m a guy who can play up and down the lineup. I’m going to compete, and I have some hockey sense to score some goals. I think I’m a versatile forward.”

Up next for MacArthur is a return home to the Maritime provinces for the remainder of the summer, where he’ll continue training until it’s time to report to preseason camp.

“It says a lot that they went out and made a trade for me,” MacArthur said. “I think they had some interest in me, so that’s a good feeling, first of all. Second of all, they just told me, ‘you developed a lot in the last couple years.’ They just really want me to take that next step and push for a spot in Wilkes. I’m ready to do that.”