Two Penguins at NHLPA Rookie Showcase

Rutger McGroarty and Vasily Ponomarev get some pics taken

The Penguins had two representatives yesterday at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. Rutger McGroarty and Vasily Ponomarev were out in DC repping the black and gold, among the 35 players invited.

The Showcase, as it was described last year, is mostly a promotional venture by a trading card company:

For Upper Deck, the official trading card partner of the NHLPA and the NHL, the primary purpose of the event is to obtain photo and video of the players in their respective NHL team jerseys to be used for their first official rookie hockey cards, as well as additional promotional materials throughout the season and beyond.

McGroarty also talked about the inspiration behind his unusual usage of the No. 2 as a forward.

It raises an eyebrow that someone at Upper Deck wanted the photos and videos of Ponomarev. He’s a decent young prospect that could be close to the NHL isn’t exactly a household name like some of the first round picks there — and isn’t a lock to be in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the season. For only inviting 35 rookies across the whole league, I’m not sure including Ponomarev would have been top of mind for this type of event, but hopefully that’s an appealing signal about his future.

We also got to see more of the Utah jersey on the ice.

It’s plain, but doesn’t look bad for a short-term holdover with the color scheme. Keep the black/white/light blue motiff and give ‘em a real name for next year and it’ll be off to the races.