The United States Premier Hockey League congratulates former Boston Junior Bruin Drew O'Connor for making his NHL debut on Tuesday night for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Boston Bruins. 

O'Connor was listed on the game night roster on Tuesday. He was one of the 2017-18 Junior Bruins' standouts on their first NCDC team, posting 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points in 49 games. He then went on to an award-winning career at Dartmouth College that saw All-Ivy League Second Team honors in 2019 and a Co-Ivy League Player Of The Year nod last spring.  Last season also saw him make the ECAC Hockey First All-Star Team, All-Ivy First Team and New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star Team. 

"It’s been kind of a long journey,” said the 1998-born native of Chatham, N.J., in a Jan. 23 video call. “There was a point in time when I was kind of just battling to just get on a college team. To be in this position, I’m very thankful. It’s all the work that I’ve put in paying off potentially. It’s definitely a cool spot to be in now.”

Since signing with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last spring, O'Connor moved on to play the first half of this hockey season like no other in Norway for Manglerud. There, he posted a 6-4-10 line in his first seven pro games. 

O'Connor commented on his pro hockey baptism in Norway. 

"Going to the rink every day, trying to get better every day. Working out, skating, doing extra things to just kind of work on my game. Being ready to play every game. That was super helpful for me to get a little taste of that pro hockey life for sure.”

“Our hockey [operations] department did their homework on Drew,” said Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan. “He was a sought-after guy coming out of Dartmouth. We knew he was a good player coming [into training camp]. You can see his physical stature. He’s a big kid. He’s strong on the puck. He’s a good skater. He has good poise. He has a lot of the attributes that I think can potentially translate into being a real good pro.”

O'Connor has been enjoying his time with the Penguins, skating alongside current legends like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, borrowing his stick at one point during camp to score a goal. 

"It's pretty funny, people text me and ask me if they could get that stick," said O'Connor. "It was a pretty cool moment. I'm starting to get a little more used to it, but it was definitely a little bit at first crazy being on the ice with some of those guys." 

Although Tuesday night will be his maiden voyage in the NHL, he will join a long list of former Junior Bruins and USPHL alumni playing in the NHL. One such league alumni is Penguins teammate John Marino, who was on the South Shore Kings' first two USPHL Premier teams. 

Another Penguins teammate, Brian Dumoulin, formerly played with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs prior to their entry into the USPHL. 

In terms of Junior Bruins alumni, none has a higher stature than Buffalo Sabres Captain and former Junior Bruins Captain Jack Eichel. 

Most recently, NHL Central Scouting identified 13 USPHL players - including 12 in the Tier-2 National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC) - as Players To Watch for the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.