Nathan Legare acknowledges the need to be a bit more modest.

But he doesn’t apologize for his outbursts.

He just gets excited sometimes.

And for good reason.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward has been scoring goals.

During an 8-1 home win against the Cleveland Monsters on Friday, Legare opened the scoring in the contest during a rebound scramble on a power-play opportunity and punctuated the moment with a double fist pump while craning his right leg in a fashion that would make Johnny Lawrence flinch.

“Sometimes, I react pretty hard like that,” Legare said via video conference after Friday’s game. “Sometimes, I’ve got to keep my composure after (a goal).”

But pride does not goeth before the fall with the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect.

“It’s only one shift,” the 21-year-old Legare said. “That doesn’t mean anything after that. You’ve just got to keep building and play hard for the rest of the game.”

Legare has stayed true to that approach as of late as he has goals in three of his past four games. This spurt of production comes on the heels of 14-game stretch in which he did not find any production. Overall, he has four goals and no assists in 21 games this season.

Those figures aren’t all that impressive for a player seen as one of the organization’s better prospects. But one metric, above all others, shows the progress Legare has made this season.

No healthy scratches.

Last season, his first campaign as a professional, Legare was a healthy scratch for 18 games, including the playoffs.

“Certainly, having a year under your belt helps and knowing a little bit more of what to expect in the difficulties of this level,” Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach J.D. Forrest said. “We’re really focused on some other areas of his game that he’s been able to take steps in. He’s just been more consistent. He understands our system really well. It’s just with him a lot of times, we want him to play and not think so much. Our way we want to play is more of a style. The system that we have is not there to shackle. It’s there to just provide some structure. Sometimes, he would be too focused on every little thing within the system and not just playing the game that he is most effective with.

“This year, I think he feels a little more freedom and obviously some more confidence. When he has that, he’s a dangerous player.”

That’s been evident in this four-game outburst he has enjoyed as of late.

“It’s going to sound cliched but just got to keep the game simple and keep going to the net,” said Legare, a third-round pick (No. 74 overall) in 2019. “Goals are scored in the blue paint so that’s pretty much my mindset right now. Just go to the net. On the goal (Friday), I had a lucky bounce but it ended up in the back of the net so I was pretty happy.”

Legare was a prolific goal-scorer at the junior level. During his final season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2020-21, he was the leading goal-scorer in the postseason, posting 14 goals in 15 games with Val-d’Or Foreurs.

That rate of production has proven difficult to replicate as a professional. But those struggles offered a lesson at the same time.

“I had (14) games without a goal (this season),” Legare said. “Because I had (a similar) situation last year, I learned from that. That’s my mindset right now. Keep playing hard, simple stuff. … Just got to keep working hard, shoot the puck on net and good bounces are going to happen on my side if I keep working hard.

“Scoring goals, it’s one of the best parts of hockey. Hockey is my passion so every time I have a chance to put the puck in the back of the net, it’s always special.”

Note: The Pittsburgh Penguins had a scheduled day off Sunday.

Follow the Penguins all season long.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)