Pittsburgh Penguins: The newest players speak for the first time
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have been busy in recent days, signing their first-round draft pick, Owen Pickering, as well as making moves to bolster their NHL roster ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
GM Ron Hextall recently traded defensemen John Marino and Mike Matheson and brought in veteran right-handed blue liner, Jeff Petry, and two younger pieces, forward Ryan Poehling and another defenseman in Ty Smith.
All three new faces were available to speak to the media early Sunday morning to share their thoughts with their new team.
Defenseman Jeff Petry spoke first on how he found out he was traded to the Penguins.
Petry: "I had a missed call from the Canadiens GM. I was like ‘okay, something's up’. As I was picking up my phone, my agent called and he told me… I went up and told my wife and the kids. Everybody was extremely happy, and happy to be joining the Penguins."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 17, 2022
It wasn't long before members of the squad were reaching out to Petry, welcoming him to the Steel City.
Jeff Petry (@PetryJ), asked if any Penguins players reached out to him: "I’ve heard from a handful of the guys. Sid was one of the first to text me and welcome me to the team… That was nice to get the messages from him and Letang and a handful of others."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 17, 2022
Petry: "To be honest, I didn’t really know where I was going to end up. My agent said Pittsburgh was showing a lot of interest. My eyes kind of got big, because you look at what they’ve done in the past and the roster that they have, it’s a great organization and a great team."
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) July 17, 2022
22-year-old Ty Smith was next up and was asked to describe how he plays and sees the game.
Ty Smith (@_tysmith_24) when asked to describe his game: "For me, I’m a guy who likes to skate. I rely on that and my hockey sense, my ability to make plays."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 17, 2022
Of course, Smith was a Sidney Crosby fan while growing up.
Smith on if he idolized Crosby while growing up: "If you didn’t idolize Sid, there’s something wrong for you if you were a kid my age. He’s the best there is… Coming to Pittsburgh is really cool... It’s pretty special, and hopefully I can help out."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 17, 2022
And finally, Ryan Poehling talked about how both he and Ron Hextall were excited to be working together.
Ryan Poehling (@LilUziPoehlss) on talking with GM Hextall: "I talked with him yesterday. It seemed like he was excited to have me as part of the organization, and I’m hoping to bring the excitement to them as well."
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 17, 2022
Both Petry and Poehling were shipped from Montreal, and they were both happy to be leaving together.
It sounds like Jeff Petry's nickname is Petey, just like Marcus Pettersson's.
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) July 17, 2022
"Petey is the best," said Poehling. "When we found out, I FaceTimed him and the whole family answered. They all had big smiles on their faces. I’m glad we’re going (to Pittsburgh) together."
Now, all three players will be taking some time to get acclimated to their new surroundings, but it won't be long before Penguins fans see these new faces on the ice in black-and-gold sweaters.