Blueger brings his best to the NHL

In 2016 and '17, the Penguins promoted a series of young players from their Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm club. Newbies like Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel came to Pittsburgh, absorbed more and more responsibility, provided energy and ultimately helped win Stanley Cups in both those years.
Fast-forward to 2019. Enter Teddy Blueger. Can Blueger do the same thing?
So far, so good.

The 24-year-old Latvian forward has made quite an impression during his salad days in the NHL, accruing three goals and one assists in his first seven games.
Blueger netted the game-winner in a 3-1 victory over visiting Edmonton Feb. 13, cutting to the net to work a give-and-go down low with Kris Letang, who banked the puck off Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen right to a charging Blueger.

"I gave him the puck and went to the net. Tried to get lost a little bit in the slot area," Blueger said. "Obviously, it's a really fortunate bounce for it to come straight to me."
Blueger's stay in Pittsburgh has not been without disappointment: After dishing an assist in a 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay Feb. 9, Blueger was a healthy scratch Feb. 11 at Philadelphia.
"Obviously, that didn't feel great," Blueger said. "It never feels good to not play.
"But you've got to roll with the punches. I'm trying to do everything I can to play as well as I can, and control what I can control. I'm focused on learning as fast as possible, and adjusting, and getting better every game."
Said Coach Mike Sullivan, "He's playing extremely well. I told him that when I took him out of the lineup [at Philadelphia]. That was a real tough decision for the coaching staff. I told him to control what he can, and just trust us. He's going to be a part of this."
Blueger is listed at 6-foot, 195 pounds, and that may be a bit exaggerated. His size doesn't strike fear.
But that doesn't stop him from getting involved physically. He dropped the gloves with Tampa Bay's Adam Erne on Feb. 9. It was Blueger's first NHL fight.
"Both teams were playing hard and trying to win," Blueger said. "There was a little bit of a scrum in front of the net and it kind of took off from there. It's just part of the game."
The NHL's physicality is "very similar" to the American Hockey League's, Blueger said, but "the guys are stronger overall up here."
Blueger said the biggest difference between the minors and big leagues is "the overall skill level and speed. You've got to think a step ahead of the game, and guys are so good at defending it's harder to possess the puck and make plays through sticks."
After scoring vs. Edmonton, Blueger was asked if NHL life was getting easier.
"No," he said, smiling. "But it's always nice to get a goal. It was a good game overall. We made a couple mistakes, but we had a good third period and shut them down pretty good. It was a good win."
Can Blueger stay with the Penguins?
"I hope so," Blueger said. "I'm just trying to play as well as I can, and try to make a difference and help the team win. Hopefully, I can stick around as long as I can, and get better every game."
Said Sullivan, "Teddy's making a real strong case for himself. He's played extremely well. We can play him on the wing, or we can play him at center. He's a real good penalty-killer. He's a good 200-foot player. The fact that he's chipped in offensively and scored some goals has been a huge bonus for us."
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).