The 19-year-old forward looked to his left, where fellow prospects stood on either side of another empty locker at Penguins development camp earlier this month. Above that locker was the nameplate of Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby.
"I've just been trying to soak it in," Broz said on July 10. "Obviously, it's the Penguins locker room. They have Sidney Crosby's locker over there. They got his name over there. It's cool. It's definitely humbling to be here and to put on that logo."
It was Broz's first time taking part in development camp since being selected in the second round (No. 58) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He was unable to participate last September because he was already on campus as a freshman at the University of Minnesota.
"It kind of stunk not being able to be here and not necessarily be fully part of the organization," Broz said. "But I kind of always knew they had my back and they were there supporting me. I was still talking to them. I still definitely felt a part of it."
However, it caused some within the Penguins organization to be less than familiar with Broz.
"This is his first year of it," said J.D. Forrest, coach of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. "A lot of guys that have been drafted, by their third year they've been through three of these. It's kind of old hat to them. It's a whole introduction to him. Like, I've never met him before."
Last year didn't go as planned for Broz.
After getting 51 points (19 goals, 32 assists) in 54 games for Fargo of the United States Hockey League in 2020-21, Broz had just 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 36 games at Minnesota.
It was then announced on July 1 that he had transferred to the University of Denver, which defeated Minnesota State to win the national championship.
But the decision to transfer didn't have much to do with his drop in production as a freshman, Broz said. Instead, it came from a desire to move out on his own, away from his hometown of Bloomington, Minnesota.
"I think it's really just about personal growth for me," Broz said. "I think both places can offer [something] pretty similar development-wise. Both places have really good teams, good practices. The on-ice development I don't think is going to be a lot different. I think as a person, Denver's going to afford me a place to grow a lot more, to live on my own, to cook for myself, to take care of myself.
"I think that will be very invaluable for my time in Pittsburgh, just kind of learning how to do that."
Ultimately, the change could provide a clearer path to the NHL, which Broz would like to reach, "as soon as possible."
"He's a good kid. He can be misunderstood. He has a lot of offensive ability and talent," Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos said. "It was a difficult year for him. He decided to change things up. I think he's in a good spot now, going to Denver. Really excited about him and his future.
"Really glad he's a Pittsburgh Penguin."
