NHL Draft profiles: Stiga's fast rise could land him with Penguins in second round

This is the sixth story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential second-round picks for the Penguins at 44th and 46th overall.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- When NHL Central Scouting puts out its list of preliminary players to watch in October, players aren't ranked in order but rather grouped into categories. Players with an 'A' rating are expected to be first-rounders, 'B' ratings are candidates for the second or third rounds, 'C' ratings are the fourth or fifth rounds, and 'W' players are considered for the sixth and seventh rounds.

When that first list came out in October, U.S. National Team Development Team forward Teddy Stiga was given a 'W' rating, projecting him as a sixth- or seventh-round pick. But a quick rise over the course of the season now has Stiga expected to hear his name called in the second round, right around when the Penguins are on the clock at 44th and 46th overall.

Stiga, 18, is a left-handed forward capable of playing center and wing, listed at 5 foot 10 and 178 pounds. A native of Sudbury, Mass., he played prep school hockey in Massachusetts and also for the Boston Junior Eagles before joining the USNTDP in 2022. He described himself at the combine as "a competitive, hard-working guy who can play with a lot of skill, but is also reliable both ways. He pointed to his intensity as something that sets him apart from some prospects.

"I like to pride myself on kind of bringing the same intensity each shift each night," he said. "I think the intensity I try to bring is on both sides of the puck, and I think that some of the best players, the guys I look up to, all do that. That's what I need to do if I want to play at the next level."

Stiga named Brad Marchand and Vincent Trocheck as players he tries to model his game after, because "they're all not the biggest guys, but they're not afraid of contact, and they're all really hard workers and are really effective offensively. None of them are going to be on the highlight reels toe-dragging every night, but they make a lot of good plays that lead the offense, which I kind of see in myself too."

The reliable two-way play and commitment to playing on both sides of the puck was something first drilled into him by his head coach with the Boston Junior Eagles, Jarome Iginla. Iginla's son Tij is in the same age group (and is expected to be a first-round pick this year), so Stiga learned from Iginla as he coached his son's team.

Stiga had a fine 2022-23 season with the USNTDP. He scored 12 goals and nine assists in 49 games, and eight goals and four assists in 27 of the program's games in the USHL before he was sidelined with a lower-body injury at the end of the season. This year, Stiga was one of his team's highest-scoring players.

Stiga finished No. 3 on the USNTDP in scoring with 36 goals and 43 assists in 61 games. He ranked No. 2 on the team in USHL play, with 18 goals and 20 assists in 27 games.

He turned into a force with his linemate James Hagens, teaming up often on plays like this one:

“He’s got energy and can probably play just about anywhere in your lineup," an NHL scout said of Stiga's season in the Elite Prospects' draft guide. "He’s probably more of a bottom-sixer, but a guy that coaches will like and reward. He’s got skill. He’s hard on the puck. He works hard, forechecks, back tracks, comes back into the defensive zone – he’s a real player.”

Part of that boost from the prior season came from Stiga's work in the gym. When he was injured at the end of the 2022-23 season, it allowed him to spend more time focusing on adding muscle, and he put on 15 pounds. With the injury being a lower-body one, he also devoted a lot of time to working on his shot off the ice until he was able to skate again.

Where Stiga may have improved his stock the most was at the U18 World Junior Championship in Finland starting in late April. He ranked fourth for the U.S. in scoring with six goals and five assists in seven games as the U.S. won silver, losing to Canada in the gold medal game. He scored a hat trick against Finland in preliminary play:

"I think throughout the year, I've been pretty consistent," Stiga said. "I think I had good showings in our international tournaments, for sure. It's always exciting when you get to play a different country and you're wearing 'USA.'"

Stiga met with 25 teams at the combine, and the Penguins were one of them. He called it a "pretty fun" meeting, going over tape of his own games with the Penguins' management in Buffalo. The Canadiens had the distinction of asking Stiga the weirdest question in any of those 25 interviews, asking him what animal he'd be. He decided on a hornet, because of how he's "buzzing around on the ice."

Stiga will make the jump to college hockey next season with Boston College, calling it the "perfect mix of school, campus and obviously, hockey."

"I'm going to try to be the best player I can," Stiga said of next season. "I want to help a lot offensively, but also be able to PK, and also play power play and do all I can, building from this year."

Stiga looks long-term to be a middle-six winger in the NHL, or even a top-six winger in perhaps in a role similar to Michael Bunting's after he joined the Penguins this season -- doing the dirty work, going to the net front to help his teammates, and chipping in himself when he can.