Atlantic Youth Hockey League

O’Connor Makes NHL Debut with Penguins
Net-Front Presence Earns Him a Point

Drew O’Connor took the ice at the TD Garden in Boston last night for his rookie lap with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The former North Jersey Avalanche and NJ Colonials forward from Chatham, NJ was recalled from the taxi squad for practice on Monday with the Penguins.

Seth Rorabaugh of TribLive.com spoke with Drew about his transition from hoping to walk onto the D-III team at Hobart in New York to taking the ice for the first time in the NHL.

“It’s been kind of a long journey,” O’Connor said during a video conference. “There was a point in time when I was kind of just battling to just get on a college team. To be in this position, I’m very thankful. It’s all the work that I’ve put in paying of potentially. It’s definitely a cool spot to be in now.”

During the game, O’Connor made his presence known. He continually crashed the net, which earned him an assist in the third period, keeping the Penguins in the game with only one to tie it up. The Penguins continued pressuring and tied it up sending the game to overtime. Penguins lost in overtime.

Congratulations to Drew! We can’t wait to see you on the ice with the Penguins again soon!