'Nothing To Lose, Everything To Prove' For Huntington With Penguins

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - For the first time in his professional hockey career, Jimmy Huntington enters training camp with the ability to push for a spot on an NHL roster.

That's because, entering his sixth season at the pro level, Huntington signed his first NHL contract over the summer - joining the Pittsburgh Penguins organization on a one-year, two-way contract for the 2024-25 season.

"I see opportunity up here, and that's why I signed here," Huntington told InsideAHLHockey.com last week after the opening day of training camp practices. "I see a couple spots for me, and you know what, it's the first day. I'm really happy."

Huntington's Hard Work Earned Him Opportunities To Advance

Huntington's first NHL contract didn't come without hard work and believing in himself.

In fact, after his first two years at the pro level with the Syracuse Crunch organization were split between the AHL and ECHL it was a midseason trade to Milwaukee that provided Huntington with a better opportunity to put his skills on display.

He joined the Milwaukee Admirals during the 2021-22 season, making the most of his opportunity - recording 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in his first 34 games with the Admirals to close out the regular season before tallying four goals and adding an assist in nine postseason appearances in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs.

In all, the 2021-22 season allowed Huntington to put up career-high numbers in his first full season in the AHL. Sometimes all a player needs is the opportunity, and Huntington is a textbook case of a player earning and seizing the opportunity.

That strong showing earned him a new one-year AHL contract with Milwaukee the following season, where he put up a respectable 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 51 games to go along with an extended run in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs - adding six points (two goals, four assists) in 15 appearances in a supporting role.

Huntington's drive and hard work caught the attention of the Hershey Bears last summer, and the defending 2023 Calder Cup Champions signed him to a one-year AHL contract - putting him in a top-six role as primarily the team's second line center this past season.

The extended ice time and opportunity with the Bears allowed Huntington to thrive, as he tallied a career-high 16 goals while adding 17 assists in 67 games - the most games he's played in an AHL season.

The confidence gained with the Bears continued in the postseason, where he helped lead Hershey to back-to-back championships this past summer - tallying 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 20 games, good for fourth on the Bears in postseason scoring during the 2024 Calder Cups.

"I came home I think it was like June 28th after we won the championship, but hey, it was unbelievable to be honest, and that's what I'm trying to bring here, like, especially in Wilkes Barre," Huntington said. "Yeah, it was real fun winning a championship last year."

Winning a championship is something Huntington won't ever forget, but in moving on to the Penguins organization this season it's something he hopes to instill in the culture of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins locker room this fall.

"It's a nothing to lose mentality. Nothing was given to me, I had to earn every opportunity, ice time, every shift in my life. And you know what? That gave me a lot of confidence and I prove a lot of people that they were wrong about me," Huntington explained of his path to getting his first NHL contract at 25 years old.

For now, he's focused on trying to make a good first impression with Penguins GM Kyle Dubas and push for the NHL - something he wasn't able to do previously while on AHL-only contracts.

"I have nothing to lose here, and everything to prove. That's my mindset here," Huntington told InsideAHLHockey.com after the opening day of NHL training camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township. "I'm here. I'm happy, and just trying to be myself and try to bring all my habits and all my strength to the game. And like I said last year, winning championship gave me confidence. But yeah, I'm here to help the Penguins organization to win."