Penguins prospect Tristan Broz moves past a rough freshman season

Pittsburgh Penguins forward prospect Tristan Broz is as Minnesota as a Minnesotan can get.

First, as a high schooler, he suited up for the Blake School and played for Rob McClanahan, a member of the 1980 United States Olympic team and a vaunted son of the self-titled State of Hockey.

And as a native of Bloomington, Broz has a closed-jaw accent that would qualify him to be an extra in “Fargo.”

And Broz — who played for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League as a junior — lived out something of a dream last season by suiting up for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Unfortunately, that dream had something of an early wake-up call.

Broz’s freshman season mostly was unappetizing for all involved, and, as a result, he opted to transfer to the University of Denver for his upcoming sophomore campaign.

“There’s only so much I can say,” Broz said during the Penguins’ recent prospect development camp in Cranberry. “But I think it will be a much better spot for me, like, living off the ice. It will be a place that I grow up a lot, kind of learn of how to be a pro.”

Broz, the Penguins’ second-round pick (No. 58 overall) in 2021, learned plenty at Minnesota. And a lot of it was through error.

In 36 games, he posted only 11 points (six goals, five assists) and even had a handful of healthy scratches.

“It’s a big learning experience,” said Broz, 19. “That’s kind of how I would summarize the year. Obviously, a lot of things didn’t go the way I wanted them to. But I think I learned a lot about myself, my game that I think are going to help me long-term in my career. It stinks. Maybe things didn’t go how (I) would have liked. But I think there’s also a lot to be excited about with where my head is at. I’m still really excited about my game and the player that I can be.”

In the spring, Broz entered the NCAA’s transfer portal and formally joined Denver, the defending NCAA champion, earlier this month.

Aside from Denver’s obvious success, what else did he like about a campus and a program roughly 13 hours from home?

“Mainly, the culture there,” said Broz (6-foot, 178 pounds). “I’ve been out there a few weeks and just the guys and the culture that’s established there, it’s very professional. It’s very much about winning. It’s very good guys and really good people. Those were probably the main reasons.”

Penguins management seems to support Broz’s decision.

“He’s a good kid,” said Penguins director of player development Tom Kostopoulos. “It was a difficult year for him. He decided to change things up, and I think he’s in a good spot now going to Denver. Really excited for him and his future.”

Through his struggles as freshman, Broz credited Penguins management with support, albeit remotely.

“I would talk to (Penguins management) pretty regularly about how the season was going, what was going well, what wasn’t going well, on ice, off ice,” Broz said. “Whatever I thought I needed help with, they talked me through it. They were really good with it.”

Primarily deployed as a left winger at Minnesota, Broz is capable of playing center as well. He professes comfort at either position.

“I think I’m pretty versatile in the fact that I can play both pretty comfortably,” Broz said. “I grew up my whole life playing center. The last couple of years, I played more of left wing. I have a comfort level with both. That adds some versatility to where they can put me in the lineup. Wherever the coaches want me, I’ll play.”

Despite a freshman season that was far from perfect, Broz maintains he developed self-confidence through his struggles.

“I think I really built up a lot of confidence over the last year,” Broz said. “Knowing that I can be a guy that takes a puck and make some plays happen. I have the confidence to do that and the willingness to do it.”

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