BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tristan Broz has shown at every stop on his path to the pros that he is capable of scoring goals. He pumped in two more in Monday’s 6-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres, giving him three in his three games at the Prospects Challenge.

But heading into this summer, the Penguins told the rising forward prospect that if he wanted to stick in Pittsburgh this fall, he would need to prove he could defend.

“Their message was, ‘Can we put you out on the ice against [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon, against guys like that?’” Broz recalled Monday. “That is the No. 1 thing. I know I have the ability and skating and everything. It’s just the reliability.”

Broz took that message to heart, and early returns were promising here in Buffalo.

The 22-year-old center scored all three of his goals here on the power play. But after the tournament finale, which Pittsburgh won to finish 3-0 in at the annual prospects showcase, it was Broz’s work on the penalty kill that Kirk MacDonald gushed about.

“His penalty killing this weekend was outstanding,” said MacDonald, who is in his second year as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s coach. “Obviously, he was a power-play guy for us last year. It wasn’t that we didn’t trust him. It was just that sometimes you have to spread ice time around. ... [He] really took a step at the end of last year.”

That was when the Baby Pens lost several key players to injury or call-ups to the NHL. MacDonald had to lean on Broz and Avery Hayes to kill penalties. He plans to use both in that capacity this season should they be in the American Hockey League.

Broz may have joined Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen in Pittsburgh late last season if he had not gotten mononucleosis in January. He was sidelined for several weeks. And by the time Broz got his conditioning and timing back, time had run out.

The 2021 second-round pick finished his first pro season with 19 goals in 59 games. Six of them came on the power play. His 37 points ranked eighth on the Baby Pens.

Despite the health-related setback, last season was a positive experience for him.

“The biggest thing I learned is that I just need to be a professional every day,” Broz said. “It’s about not getting too high, not getting too low. And whether you don’t feel good or it’s like this and it’s your third game in four [days], you need to find a way to get yourself ready to perform at the same compete level and same intensity.”

During his exit interview, Penguins brass harped on the importance of defense for Broz, who likely would be used in a bottom-six role initially if he made it to the NHL.

That is not to say two-way play had not previously been a priority for the young center. Last season, he impressed MacDonald with his progress on that side of the puck, especially because Broz had largely played on the wing during his NCAA career.

Denver University converted Broz to center midway through his junior year — a move that helped to propel the Pioneers to their Frozen Four championship in 2024.

“There’s so much room to grow because he hasn’t played the position for long, and he’s doing a great job,” MacDonald said. “He was great this weekend on the defensive side of the puck, for the most part. And it was nice today that he got rewarded.”

MacDonald added that when Broz — who paced the Penguins with six points in Buffalo — is locked in defensively, that “actually feeds his offense” and he “ends up scoring.”

During offseason training, it can be difficult for a player to work on defensive play and awareness. They often skate individually or in small groups instead of playing spirited 5-on-5 games. And much of the focus is on skating and skills development.

“[Defense] is mostly just attention to detail. You can’t necessarily train for it,” Broz said. “It’s always something different, so you just learn as you go. With more reads and the more times you’re in a certain situation, you’re going to learn what to expect.”

But Broz could attack certain aspects of it during his summer training back home in Minnesota. He improved his conditioning so he won’t lose steam while skating from goal line to goal line, as centers are required to do. And he focused on his stops and starts so he can hit the brakes for puck battles then quickly accelerate elsewhere.

Broz saw proof of concept when he made a pit stop on the drive back to Pittsburgh.

He got invited to skate for a few days in Chicago with stars Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard. Kane is a player whom Broz has admired since he was a kid.

“I got to get on the ice with Patrick Kane and Bedard,” he said. “It was good to skate with those guys because you [keep up] with them and you realize, ‘I’m right here.’”

After his strong performance at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, Broz said he will “reset” and spend the next couple of days resting up for the start of training camp.

He can score, but he knows responsible two-way play will get his foot in the door.

“You look at a guy like Bryan Rust,” Broz said. “He broke in on the fourth line and now he’s playing with [Sidney Crosby] and putting up a point per game. Sometimes, you’ve got to be able to mold yourself and bust your way in a different way. But that skill is always there. And once you get your chance, you’ve just to run with it.”

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