PensBurgh Top 25 under 25: #15 - Jonathan Gruden

After four AHL seasons, Gruden could be fighting for a spot on the Penguins’ fourth line this fall.

We reach the top 15 players on Pensburgh’s Top 25 under 25 list with Jonathan Gruden, a hard-hitting forward with four years of AHL experience and a shot at making the Penguins’ bottom six in 2024-25.

Graduates and departed players from last year’s list
The best of the rest
#25: Raivis Ansons
#24: Kirill Tankov
#23: Isaac Belliveau
#22: Taylor Gauthier
#21: Chase Pietila
#20: Emil Jarventie
#19: Kalle Kangas
#18 Joona Vaisanen
#17: Filip Kral
#16: Mac Swanson

#15: Jonathan Gruden, LW/C
2023 Ranking: No. 7
Age: 24 (May 4, 2000)
Acquired Via: 2020 trade with the Ottawa Senators, in exchange for G Matt Murray
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 172 pounds

Elite Prospects Resume

Gruden played 13 games in three separate call-ups to the Penguins his year. He scored his first NHL goal on March 2 against the Calgary Flames, during his ninth appearance in the league.

He also provided a spark for the Penguins on March 26 during a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, when a hit led to him dropping the gloves with Stefan Noesen.

The 24-year-old was flexible on the wing, skating on both the left and right in the NHL. He also added some physicality to the Penguins’ roster, laying 33 hits in his 13 appearances, per Natural Stat Trick.

Gruden spoke about the physicality he brought to the Penguins’ roster in January, per Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

“Somebody’s got to do it, right? Whether you’re trying to change the momentum of the game or trying to drag guys into the fight, you just try to be physical. I think that’s one thing I really focused on when I was up there a couple weeks ago was being physical.

“Maybe that creeps in other guys’ games, and everyone will do it. It’s obviously not part of everyone’s game. But, if more guys do it, then we’re just a harder team to play against.”

Gruden recorded those hit numbers despite skating limited minutes during his stint with the Penguins. The rookie saw fewer than 10 minutes in nine of his NHL appearances, and the Pens risked losing him altogether when they placed him on waivers in March.

Gruden spent most of the season serving as an alternate captain for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he recorded 13 goals and 11 assists for 24 points in 47 games. He skated at both wing and center in the AHL.

Kyle Dubas and the Penguins re-signed Gruden in May for two more years, keeping him under a two-way contract through the 2025-26 season.

Gruden spent two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program before he was selected as a fourth-round pick by the Ottawa Senators in the 2018 NHL draft. He joined the Penguins’ organization in 2020 as part of the return from the Matt Murray trade with the Ottawa Senators.

The forward has recorded 96 points (45 goals, 51 assists) in 208 AHL games, and one goal in 16 NHL appearances, since joining the franchise.

Gruden has gotten only minimal chances at the NHL level so far, but the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton veteran could get the chance to battle for a spot on the Penguins’ roster in training camp. With Matt Nieto set to miss the start of the season after undergoing knee surgery in May, Gruden could campaign to take over the left-wing spot on the fourth line this fall.