🏒@HockeyBangers2026-27 projections

Overview

@HockeyBangers

2026-27 Projection

Rutger McGroarty

PIT · Age 22.3 · 🇺🇸 USA · 6′0″, 200 lb · Draft 2022, 14th overall (WPG)
PITteam
LW,RWposition
202position rank
598skater rank
-30overall
-30offense
0peripherals

Value over replacement, based on 82 games played.
Ideal for H2H 12-team banger category leagues, 16 roster spots.

Per 82 GP2026-27projection adj2025-2624 GPH28 GPH116 GPPrev 3thin
TOI12.4611.9612.08
PP TOI0.150.170.11
G121010
A15105
PTS272116
PPP700
SOG123126142
PIM19147
Hits828982
Blocks252720

Sample: 24 GP · 271 5v5 min (2025-26) — how much ice time backs these rates

Positional rankingLeft wing · league-wide (of 281)
offenseperipheralsvalue over replacement

Counts = projected deployment × projected /60 rate, per 82 GP. Rates regress off the process metric (ixG, shot-driving), not last year's finishing %. PP points = projected PP rate (anchored on the 2nd-half PP1 role, finishing regressed) × projected PP TOI.

Context-adjusted (▲/▼ vs the rate-model baseline): Rookie baseline: projected role (multicat depth, top-six by 27-28; one day could become someone like Anders Lee) blended with 2025-26 NHL (24 GP) at w=0.50. Per-82 line; GP/availability is separate. Tune here.

Metrics worth highlighting

The charts that move this projection — where he broke from his own 3-year rate, where the season split in half, and where we’re taking the number next year
We project it up
A
1522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting assists 50% above last season, 10 to 15.

We project it up
PTS
2722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5

We’re projecting points 29% above last season, 21 to 27.

Top of the league
ixG/60
1.0222-2323-2424-2525-26

ixG/60 sits in the 96th percentile league-wide (1.02).

Picked automatically from every chart on this card, ranked by how far each number moved. Each claim is measured off the chart drawn beside it.

Similar & complementary players

Similar makeup Forward
Closest across all seven categories — match % is the whole-profile fit
Complementary Forward
Same position, opposite profile — strong where Rutger McGroarty is weak or average, light where he’s strong
Profile shape — per-82 category values vs the league p99 for the position (same scale as the hero bars)
This player
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
the profile below
vs Similar
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
similar players hug the shape
vs Complementary
GAPPPSOGPIMHitsBlocks
complements fill the gaps

Deployment

Deployment projection — next-year TOI & PP TOI vs the last two years (the role that drives every count)
Coaching
2026-27 · Dan Muse (PIT)
Last year: Dan Muse full season (1st yr) — no change
Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
TOI12.4611.96n/a
5v5 TOI11.8911.32n/a
PP TOI0.150.17n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 16 · 4 · 4
TOI*
12.08Q1Q2Q3Q4
5v5 TOI
11.72Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP TOI
0.11Q1Q2Q3Q4
*Total TOI by quarter reconstructs 5v5+PP quarterly totals plus a held-flat season PK/GP — NST has no all-strength quarterly export. Level is accurate; quarter-to-quarter movement comes from 5v5+PP.
By season — year over year
TOI
12.4622-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
5v5 TOI
11.8922-2323-2424-2525-2626-27
PP TOI
0.1522-2323-2424-2525-2626-27

Shooting — volume & conversion

How much and how well he shoots — volume (SOG), finishing (% vs chance quality), and the individual shot-quality funnel (iCF ⊇ iSCF ⊇ iHDCF).

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
SOG/608.197.95n/a
G/600.680.66n/a
iSH%8.308.30n/a
ixG/601.02n/a
iCF/6013.47n/a
iSCF/606.63n/a
iHDCF/603.53n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 16 · 4 · 4
SOG/60
8.64Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSH%
7.41Q1Q2Q3Q4
ixG/60
1.04Q1Q2Q3Q4
iCF/60
13.12Q1Q2Q3Q4
iSCF/60
6.72Q1Q2Q3Q4
iHDCF/60
2.88Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
SOG/60
7.9522-2323-2424-2525-26
iSH%
8.3022-2323-2424-2525-26
ixG/60
1.0222-2323-2424-2525-26
iCF/60
13.4722-2323-2424-2525-26
iSCF/60
6.6322-2323-2424-2525-26
iHDCF/60
3.5322-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
G
1222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
SOG
12322-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindAge 22 — still on the up-slope of the scoring curve.
TailwindAge 22 on a single NHL season — projected a development step, not a flat repeat: scoring rates +6% and role +4% toward the mid-20s peak (a young riser improves on last year, not repeats it).

Assists — playmaking & on-ice offense

Primary vs secondary helpers, plus the on-ice offense and luck signals underneath them.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
on-ice SH%9.309.30n/a
IPP50.1950.19n/a
1A/600.220.22n/a
2A/600.440.44n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 16 · 4 · 4
1A/60
0.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
2A/60
0.32Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
1A/60
0.2222-2323-2424-2525-26
2A/60
0.4422-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
A
1522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
PTS
2722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindProject McGroarty onto the PIT roster for 2026-27 with multicat (points + Hits) depth value; top-six scoring is more a 2027-28 story.
ContextAssist environment looks normal (on-ice SH% 9.3%, IPP 50.2%).

Power play

PP opportunity and finishing — modelled separately from 5v5.

Metric26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PP TOI0.150.17n/a
PP iSH%n/an/a
PP SOG/600.000.00n/a
PP ixG/600.00n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 16 · 4 · 4
PP TOI/GP
0.11Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP SOG/60
0.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
PP ixG/60
0.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PP TOI/GP
0.1722-2323-2424-2525-26
PP SOG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
PP ixG/60
0.0022-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PPP
722-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPG
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
PPA
022-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. PPG and PPA are the 2 halves of the PPP above them, split by the projection's own goal/assist mix. PP-only, so the halves are exact.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
ContextPP role steady at ~0.2 PP TOI/gp.

Physical — PIM · hits · blocks

Peripheral counting categories. Noisier and scorer-biased — read as role over the years, not pure talent.

Metric (5v5)26-27
proj
2025-26Prev 3Diff
PIMs/600.340.44n/a
Hits/605.675.74n/a
Blks/601.681.77n/a
By quarter — 2025-26 vs 3-yr baseline
GP  0 · 16 · 4 · 4
PIMs/60
0.00Q1Q2Q3Q4
Hits/60
5.12Q1Q2Q3Q4
Blks/60
1.28Q1Q2Q3Q4
By season — year over year
PIMs/60
0.4422-2323-2424-2525-26
Hits/60
5.7422-2323-2424-2525-26
Blks/60
1.7722-2323-2424-2525-26
Per-82 count — 3 seasons, 2025-26 halves & 26-27 projection
PIM
1922-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
HITS
8222-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
BLK
2522-2323-2424-25H1H226-27
all5v5
The blue 26-27 point is our projection. The bold line is all situations; the muted line under it is 5v5 alone, so the gap between them is his special-teams production. Full seasons are true per-82 counts; the 2025-26 H1/H2 reconstruct all-strength from the 5v5+PP quarterly exports plus the season's held-flat PK/other. The projected 5v5 point is the engine's even-strength share of the total, converted to 5v5 by his own 5v5-to-even-strength split, so overtime and 4-on-4 scoring stays out of it.
Regression read — where next year's /60 rate lands and why (process over finishing)
TailwindProject McGroarty onto the PIT roster for 2026-27 with multicat (points + Hits) depth value; top-six scoring is more a 2027-28 story.
RiskHits tailing off: Q4 5.12/60 and 2nd-half 5.12 below the 5.74 season rate — projected DOWN to 5.67/60, weighting the recent decline over the n/a 3-yr mark.
RiskBlocks tailing off: Q4 1.28/60 and 2nd-half 1.28 below the 1.77 season rate — projected DOWN to 1.68/60, weighting the recent decline over the n/a 3-yr mark.