Many Penguins fans clamored for Teddy Blueger to get his shot at the NHL during the Penguins' search for a third-line center, but the 23-year-old says that he's still focusing on improving his game in Wilkes-Barre.
Growing up in Latvia, a young Blueger used to wake up in the middle of the night to watch the "big games" in the NHL, something he said has been "the dream ever since I can remember."
Searching for the best place to carve out a path to the NHL, Blueger moved to America at 14.
After attending Shattuck-St. Mary's for three years, the prestigious boarding school that produced such talent as Sidney Crosby and Jonathan Toews, he was drafted by the Penguins in the second round in 2012.
During his time in high school, his focus was the offensive side of the game. His final year at Shattuck-St. Mary's, he recorded 24 goals and 64 points in only 51 games. Then-Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting Randy Sexton said that "the offensive upside on him is very, very high.”
If Blueger was going to succeed in the Penguins' system, though, he knew he had to reinvent his game.
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