SENS EAGER TO GET PINTO ACQUAINTED WITH NHL GAME
College star's `responsible' linemates to reinforce importance of defensive play
There couldn't be a better stage for Shane Pinto to make his National Hockey League debut.
The Ottawa Senators rookie centre hit the road with his new teammates on Friday, and on Saturday at 4 p.m., he'll suit up against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Signed after closing out his season at the University of North Dakota, the 20-year-old Pinto will become the fifth Senator to dress for his first NHL game this season, joining Artem Zub, Tim Stuetzle, Filip Gustavsson and Jacob Bernard-Docker.
A No. 32 overall selection in the NHL draft, Pinto is also the second straight player from UND to play his first game this week. It was Bernard-Docker's turn on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets after veteran defenceman Nikita Zaitsev was unable to play.
Pinto got more of a heads-up, which is why colour commentator Gord Wilson ask if he would be able to get some shut-eye on Friday night.
“I'm going to be pretty pumped up, but I'm going to try my best to get some sleep,” Pinto said during a Zoom call from the Canadian Tire Centre. “I know it's a very prestigious organization and the Bell Centre is awesome. To play my first NHL game there is going to be pretty cool, and I'm just going to soak up the moment.”
Of course, everything is different in the midst of the global pandemic, so Pinto's parents, Frank and Catherine, won't be making the five-hour drive from their home in Franklin, N.Y., to Montreal to see their son play. They'll be watching on TV with family and friends.
“My family, for sure, and a lot of my friends back home would make the trip if they could,”
Pinto said. "They supported me so much, but, unfortunately, it's not going to happen this year. Hopefully next year I can get the family and friends, and they'll maybe be able to watch me in an NHL game.”
Being able to have his parents and family in the stands would mean a lot.
“They supported me a lot and I wouldn't be here without them,” Pinto said. “I would like to share that moment with them, but it's unfortunate. Either way, it's my first NHL game and everybody just tells me to enjoy it. I'm just going to do my best.”
A standout at UND and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Trophy as the top NCAA player this past season, Pinto has had five days of skating with his new Senators teammates to get accustomed to what he'll face against the Habs. He skated alongside wingers Alex Formenton and Connor Brown during practice on Friday, and that's likely where he'll start in Saturday's game.
Senators head coach D.J. Smith likes young players to skate with Brown because, even though he just saw a franchise-record eight-game goal scoring streak end, he's incredibly responsible at both ends of the ice.
“They're a couple of my more responsible players, I think,” Smith said. “You could throw a few other guys into that, but I think Connor Brown and Formenton both kill penalties, they both track back, and they're going to help him. They're going to talk to him, and I think they could be a good line for us.”
This was one reason general manager Pierre Dorion, chief scout Trent Mann and Smith wanted Pinto to leave school this spring to sign with the Senators. They wanted him and Bernard-Docker to get a taste of the NHL.
“Pierre got them both here to see what the NHL and pro hockey is like, so you know how hard you have to work in the summer if you want to have success in the league,” Smith said. "It's better to cut your teeth at the end of the year than it is to get an eye-opening in the first month next year.
“It's a great situation for them both to be able to practice, so next year you're going to feel a lot more comfortable, knowing the trainers and the coaching staff and what have you. That's the big reason, and the excitement for us to get them here now, to get them with the development guys and try to make them into the best pros that we possibly can.”
Pinto has been to the Bell Centre before. At age nine, he was there with teammates while they were in Montreal to play in a minor hockey tournament. He can't remember who the Canadiens' opponent was or the score, but he does recall the excitement in the building and the noise from the Habs' faithful.
“I do remember the atmosphere was pretty intense,” Pinto said. “That's what I remember.”
This time the building will be empty, but that's OK. It will be Saturday and Pinto will be playing in his first NHL game. He'll have memories that he won't ever forget.