I think Rutger McGroarty's skill is VASTLY understated in this thread. Yes, he plays a *heavy* game, but he's demonstrated from a very young age that he's always been amongst the BEST 2004 born kids in the world. This is no fluke or one year wonder.
In 2013, when he was 10 years old, he played at the famous Brick Invitational Hockey Tournament in Edmonton. He lead the tournament with 9 goals in six games. Is that good? Well, other high draft picks played in the same tournament:
McGroarty - 9 goals
Savoie - 3 goals
Goyette - 3 goals
Shane Wright - 2 goals
Isaac Howard - 2 goals
Hutson - 2 goals
Korchinski - 2 goals
Cutter Gauthier - 1 goal
Owen Pickering - 1 goal
Mateychuk - 0 goals
Geekie - 0 goals
Again, he was regarded as the best 2004 born player in the US. In 2017 as a 13 year old, he played in the toughest AAA circuit (Michigan / Honeybaked). These were his results vs other top propects that same season:
Rutger McGroarty - 17GP - 40G, 7A - 47npts
Lane Hutson - 15 GP - 12G, 9A - 21 pts
Cutter Gauthier - 17GP - 6G - 11A - 17 pts
Seamus Casey - 16GP - 7G - 8A - 15 pts
Frank Nazar - 17GP - 4G - 7A - 11 pts
That Spring, (now 14 years old) he played in (and led in scoring) the Draft Day Selects Elite Tournament:
McGroarty - 17pts
Ostlund - 11 pts
Gauthier - 10 pts
Slafkovsky - 7 pts
Hutson - 7 pts
Mateychuk - 5 pts
The following fall AAA season (14 years old, turning 15 in the new year):
Cole Spicer - 51G - 118A - 169 pts
Rutger McGroarty - 82G - 78A - 160 pts
David Goyette - 49G - 104A - 153 pts
Frank Nazar - 49G - 78A - 127 pts
**HE LED THE LEAGUE IN GOALS BY 31 - THAT'S NUTS **
When the winter season was over, he once again played in the Elite Draft Day Spring tournament against his peers from around the world. Just like The Brick Tournament and Elite Draft Day Selects, he ONCE AGAIN led the entire tournament in scoring:
McGroarty - 19 pts
Hutson - 16 pts
Casey - 15 pts
Howard - 13 pts
Dumais - 10 pts
Snuggerud - 9 pts
Goyette - 8 pts
Cooley - 7 pts
Gauthier - 7 pts
Ostlund - 6 pts
Nazar - 5 pts
Owen Beck - 4 pts
Spicer - 4 pts
Minten - 3 pts
Fast forward to his draft year, and McGroarty leads the USNDTP in goals (35G) which is more than Cooley / Nazar / Howard + is 3rd in pts per games/played (nearly identical to Nazar and just slightly below Cooley / Howard).
His last major international tournament prior to draft was the U18s where he was 2nd in goals:
Jiri Kulich: 9G
McGroarty: 8G
Howard: 6G
Kemell: 6G
Bedard: 6G
Lekkerimaki: 5G
Ostlund: 4G
Cooley: 3G
Ohgren: 3G
Nazar: 3G
Gauthier: 3G
If it's not evident already, Rutger McGroarty has been amongst the tops for 2004 born kids for a LONG time. He didn't have a *fluke* season. This isn't Andrew Copp or Adam Lowry. He's been a top 3 scorer in virtually every league and tournament he's played in. Don't let the *power forward* moniker confuse you. He's a HIGH skill player that just happens to also be physical. A bit of a unicorn. Had he played CHL hockey this year, I have no doubt he would have produced a nearly the same rate as Shane Wright and / or Matt Savoie. He's been putting up insane numbers his entire life.