Steady, ‘trustworthy’ defenseman Ivany called up
He’ll give team’s blue line new look
Despite the bread crumbs Kyle Dubas left behind, Jack St. Ivany wasn’t expecting a call-up.
During his bi-weekly radio show with play-by-play broadcaster Josh Getzoff on Wednesday, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations discussed how trading Chad Ruhwedel to the New York Rangers could open up opportunities at the NHL level for defensemen like St. Ivany, a fellow right-shot. Dubas mentioned wanting to bring up a player who can kill penalties and has size, strength and reach.
Dubas’ words were hardly empty, as he wasted little time in bringing St. Ivany aboard. The Penguins recalled him prior to Friday afternoon’s practice in Cranberry while re-assigning defenseman Ryan Shea to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“It’s very exciting,” St. Ivany said. “Kind of wasn’t expecting it, so a little bit of a whirlwind from yesterday to today. But I’m just ecstatic to be here.”
St. Ivany, 24, has skated in 115 games with the Baby Pens the past two seasons, his first two professional campaigns after playing at both Yale and Boston College. He was originally drafted by Ron Hextall and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2018 but never signed with the club. He became a free agent in the summer of 2022, and Hextall inked him to a deal when he was still the
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Penguins’ general manager.
While the Manhattan Beach, Calif., native endured his share of growing pains in the 2022-23 campaign, St. Ivany’s overall play has improved this season while his confidence has soared.
After producing a minus17 rating last year, the defensive-minded St. Ivany has been a plus-14 player this season with four goals and eight assists in 52 games. Considering the Penguins have operated without many right-shot defensemen either in Pittsburgh or WilkesBarre all season, St. Ivany became a logical candidate for a call-up after Ruhwedel was dealt.
But coach Mike Sullivan said there’s more to St. Ivany’s getting recalled than his handedness.
“He’s played extremely well,” Sullivan said. “He’s been very good on the penalty kill. He’s a solid defending defenseman. Fairly mobile, good size. So I think he’s gonna bring that aspect: just a conscientious, trustworthy game to our team.”
A 6-foot-3, 198-pounder, St. Ivany said he’s gotten better with his puck movement to complement some of his trademark skills such as killing penalties and providing “physical touch” when needed. In Wilkes-Barre, he’s spent time paired with quite the offensive blue-liner in Ty Smith, with St. Ivany being the more responsible, stay-at-home defender of the two.
Depending on how Sullivan deploys St. Ivany, it could be a similar situation in Pittsburgh. There were no rushes during Friday’s practice, so it’s unclear if St. Ivany would partner with the offensive Pierre-Olivier Joseph, gritty John Ludvig or a current member of the top four if afforded such an opportunity in the near future.
Sullivan was noncommittal about when St. Ivany, who has yet to play in an NHL game, will debut. But he acknowledged there will be some challenges with getting St. Ivany up to speed when that time comes. St. Ivany knows he’ll have to simplify his game against quicker and stronger competition.
“When a player hasn’t played a game yet, usually those first games, there’s a lot of adrenaline,” Sullivan said. “There’s a ton of excitement for that particular player. And there’s also an adjustment process to the speed and all things of that nature.
“So that’s the challenge. And if we choose to go that route, then we’ll try to help Jack through that process.”
The timing of St. Ivany’s promotion and a potential insertion into the Penguins’ lineup, however, coincides with quite the critical juncture for the Penguins. Despite winning only two of their last nine games and earning points in just three of them, the Penguins entered Friday still mathematically in contention for a playoff spot.
The Penguins are somehow within striking distance of the reeling Detroit Red Wings for the final spot in the East, a fact the newest Penguin is quite familiar with.
“Obviously it’s really tight here,” St. Ivany said. “Five points out of a playoff spot, so I’m going to do whatever I can to help the team win. Whether that’s block a big shot, take a hit, anything. Anything to get a win.”
Around the boards
Ruhwedel and the rest of the Rangers practiced at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex after the Penguins. The two teams meet Saturday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena in the first leg of a back-toback for the Penguins. ... Both Matt Nieto and Jansen Harkins were on hand for Friday’s practice. Nieto, who underwent surgery on his right knee in early January, is well past his expected recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks. Harkins, who had surgery on his right hand earlier this month, is out long-term, per Sullivan.