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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Last season McGrath became first local player to play with WBS during two-game stint</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Patrick McGrath chases after the puck in a regular-season game against Bridgeport last season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_pens_tigers1_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Patrick McGrath chases after the puck in a regular-season game against Bridgeport last season. </caption0></div></div>
<p>Patrick McGrath will have an advantage at this year&#8217;s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins training camp.</p><p>He&#8217;ll be one of the few players, if not the only one, who can drive to camp each day from his home and not a hotel room.</p><p>The Shavertown native signed a one-year AHL deal with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday. Last season McGrath, 22, became the first locally-born player to play for the Penguins when he appeared in two regular season games.</p><p>Now McGrath becomes the first local player to sign an AHL contract with his hometown team.</p><p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t be more excited about it,&#8221; said McGrath, a Lake-Lehman graduate. &#8220;I&#8217;m happy the Pittsburgh management have the confidence in me to give me an opportunity like this.&#8221;</p><p>For as meaningful as it is to sign a contract with the team he grew up watching, McGrath knows he still has plenty of work to do to earn his spot. It&#8217;s something he has gotten used to entering his third pro season.</p><p>He spent the last two seasons in the ECHL with Wheeling and amassed 422 penalty minutes in 104 games. Last season McGrath ranked sixth in the ECHL with 246 penalty minutes, and before he turned pro he spent two seasons in the QMJHL and accumulated 229 penalty minutes in 72 games.</p><p>&#8220;You can relate to what other players have done when you crawl your way up,&#8221; McGrath said. &#8220;You have to keep working on all aspects of your game, constantly adapt and hope it eventually pays off.&#8221;</p><p>McGrath hopes to get an invite to Pittsburgh&#8217;s training camp and he&#8217;d like to participate in the rookie tournament later this summer, but in the meantime he&#8217;ll continue his workouts at the Toyota Sportsplex with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton strength coach Joe Lorincz, mixing in some power skating work as well. McGrath said he hopes to improve his speed and offensive production this year.</p><p>Now, however, McGrath won&#8217;t have to carry the worry of wondering where he&#8217;s going to be next season.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s always tough waiting around. Having the contract in place is a weight off my shoulders,&#8221; he said.</p><p>McGrath said he was happy to see John Hynes and Alain Nasreddine get an opportunity to coach in the NHL with New Jersey and he&#8217;s excited to work with new coach Mike Sullivan and assistant Jay Leach and learn from their experience.</p><p>&#8220;Guys like that can relate to you as a player and they can be a benefit to a younger guy like me,&#8221; McGrath said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve seen it all.&#8221;</p><p>And while McGrath is happy to have the luxury of living at home while attending training camp, he knows the hometown element doesn&#8217;t matter on the ice.</p><p>&#8220;Signing a contract with my hometown team is a bonus, but once you&#8217;re out there it&#8217;s all business,&#8221; McGrath said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter where you are, you still have to work, improve and earn your way.&#8221;</p><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Shavertown’s McGrath signs with WBS Pens