Penguins forward prospect Jonathan Gruden's goal is clear: 'Make the team'

Jonathan Gruden has been in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ dressing room at their practice facility in Cranberry before.

After all, the forward was recalled to the NHL roster on seven occasions during the 2023-24 season.

So being in the dressing room during training camp isn’t novel.

But being in that dressing room for training camp? That is new.

This is his fourth training camp with the organization, and the first three saw him be housed in the spartan auxiliary facilities.

The respect of being allowed to operate in the opulence of the main dressing room means quite a bit to Gruden.

“It does actually,” Gruden said. “It’s little things that make you feel a little bit more comfortable. It’s my fourth camp here. I know the systems and the guys a lot better. This year, I’m a lot more comfortable, but obviously, I can’t get too comfy.”

Given how often he was shuffled between the NHL and AHL rosters last season, he understands the notion of having a shifting environment all too well.

And he is certainly employing that frame of mind throughout this camp and preseason. Primarily deployed in a bottom-six role, Gruden offers a game that is a blend of technical proficiency with rugged aggression.

The son of longtime professional coach and former NHL defenseman John Gruden, Jonathan Gruden understands the sport in a by-the-book fashion. And despite being a modest 6-foot and 192 pounds, he isn’t afraid to throw his compact body into the opposition.

During a 2-1 home preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, he threw a handful of hits that offered life to what was a mostly drab affair. One such collision with Red Wings forward Amadeus Lombardi forced a turnover and led to a scoring chance for Gruden midway through the second period.

“It’s everything,” the 24-year-old Gruden said of the importance of checking to his overall play. “That’s kind of how I base my game. I try to bring it every night and set up the next line for success in the (offensive) zone. Had a couple of good hits, a couple of big hits. It’s a step forward. Got to keep going.”

Where Gruden goes before the NHL’s deadline to submit season-opening rosters remains to be seen. It appears likely he may face waivers, and if he goes unclaimed, he’ll once again be returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

But that doesn’t mean he isn’t valued by an organization that re-signed him as a pending restricted free agent this past offseason. The two parties agreed to a two-year, two-way contract that carries a salary cap hit of $775,000 in May.

Last season, he broke through in the NHL to some degree, appearing in a career-high 13 games and scoring his first career goal.

“What he showed us is he’s capable of playing in the NHL,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s a gritty player, he brings a simple, straightforward game, a contentious game. If he’s going to earn a spot on a regular, consistent basis in the NHL, that’s the game he’s got to bring. He’s got to be hard to play against. He brings some physicality, some edge to our team. He’s a good penalty killer. He can win faceoffs. We can play him at center, and we can play him at the wing. He’s got an element of utility to his game that I think is really valuable.”

It’s fair to wonder if Gruden possesses enough value to open the regular season on the NHL roster. But his ambitions are clear.

“Just getting more games obviously helped last year with my confidence,” Gruden said. “I feel like every game, I got better, especially toward the end. I just played some good games in those stretches. Every game, I got more comfortable.

“Hopefully, a lot more games (this season). Hope for the full year. That’s the goal. Make the team.”

Karlsson practices

On Thursday, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson participated in practice for the first time since training camp opened Sept. 18. Operating in a non-contact fashion, he alternated between individual skating with assistant coaches and team-wide drills.

At one point, Karlsson participated in a “walk-through” power-play drill along with forwards Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Rickard Rakell and defenseman Kris Letang (with no defenders). Karlsson manned the left flank while Letang was stationed at the center point. Crosby and Malkin alternated between the right circle and net side while Rakell occupied the slot.

Officially, Karlsson’s status remains “day to day.”

Notes: Forward Vasily Ponomarev also remains “day to day” with a suspected left shoulder injury. … Forward Bryan Rust was absent from practice Thursday. He was held out of practice Wednesday for what was termed a “maintenance day.”… Forwards Jimmy Huntington and Marc Johnstone as well as defenseman Mac Hollowell cleared waivers and were assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.