Penguins 3rd-round pick Charlie Trethewey's journey brings him back to Pittsburgh

Charlie Trethewey will be somewhere familiar later this week.

The UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry.

He has been in the auxiliary dressing room adjacent to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ portion of the facility.

The five Stanley Cup banners, the pictures of Western Pennsylvanians who have reached the NHL and the gas fireplace near the PensGear store? He has seen them all.

And if he has any semblance of good taste, Trethewey has enjoyed a smoked chicken wrap masterfully crafted by the cordial dining staff on site.

When he reports for the Penguins’ prospect development camp Thursday, he won’t have to acclimate to the environment.

A defenseman taken by the Penguins in the third round (No. 73 overall) in the NHL Draft this past weekend, Trethewey is an alumnus of the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite youth program that also operates out of the facility nestled on the banks of Interstate 79.

“It was great,” Trethewey said in a video conference after being drafted Saturday. “It was just an unbelievable feeling. I’m kind of at a loss for words. I’m just ready to get started.”

Trethewey was born in Ellicott City, Md., and spent his early years in the suburbs of Baltimore. Because of the pandemic, ice time in that region was limited. That prompted Trethewey and his father, Bob, to move to Mt. Lebanon, Bob’s hometown, in 2020.

They lived with Charlie’s grandfather, Bill, to join the Penguins Elite program.

“Then we moved to Cranberry right across from the (UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex) when (their new home) finished being built,” Trethewey said. “We lived up there during the two years I was there with my dad.

“Obviously, having a lot of family in the area, going down for Sunday dinners and stuff like that down in Mt. Lebanon. Just an unbelievable feeling.”

Trethewey, who turns 18 on Aug. 2, skated for the Penguins Elite under-14 and under-15 teams before moving again, this time to Michigan to join the vaunted Little Caesars AAA program in 2022.

And for the past two seasons, he has been a member of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP), also based in Michigan.

CHARLIE TRETHEWEY HOW YOU FEELIN'?#USAvsCAN | #WU17 pic.twitter.com/Dqw751RTRC

— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) November 11, 2023

As for next season, he is committed to Boston University.

A right-handed shot, the teenager is already a big human at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds. In 63 games with the USNTDP last season, he scored 20 points (six goals, 14 assists).

“I would say I’m a two-way defenseman, Trethewey said. “Great at (defensive) gaps and blowing up plays (from the attacking opposition). When I get the puck, I’m a good puck mover. And I love to put the puck in the back of the net.”

Penguins scouts were enamored by his versatility.

“We liked the upside as a two-way guy,” said Wes Clark, the Penguins’ vice president of player personnel. “He makes a really good first pass. Strong defensively. Intelligent. Competitive. We liked the paths. Obviously, it’s a bonus when he comes up through the (Penguins Elite) program.”

Despite that connection, Trethewey was surprised — pleasantly — that the Penguins drafted him, allowing him to return to a familiar place.

“I didn’t really think I was going to go to the (Penguins),” Trethewey said. “I didn’t meet with them at the (NHL Draft) Combine.

“But … it’s an unbelievable feeling to go to a kind of hometown team for me and represent the Penguins. I’m just ready to get started.”