Jarred Tinordi found a fresh start in the Penguins organization.
Tinordi, a 25-year-old defenseman for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, was a first-round pick of the Canadiens in 2010. Playing in his sixth professional season, he's only played 53 NHL games, and he's never found stability. The Montreal organization was criticized for their use of Tinordi, stunting his development by not allowing him to spend consistent time in the AHL.
He bounced up and down between the AHL and NHL for four seasons with Montreal, averaging around 15 minutes of ice time during the few games he was able to get in the lineup. When his waiver-exempt status ended, he remained on the NHL roster and was forced to sit in the press box for a few months, only to be sent to Arizona in the John Scott trade in 2016.
He has no complaints about his time in the Canadiens organization, though.
"I got a lot of good experience with Montreal," Tinordi told me this week. "The time that I was there, I think that I played some really strong games, and then I played some games that were just okay and not-so-good ones. For any young player kind of finding their way, it's tough in the NHL. There's a big difference between the NHL and the American League, and it's finding that consistency that I think makes you a regular or not."
Last season, after re-signing with the Coyotes organization, Tinordi spent an entire season with one team — the AHL's Tuscon Roadrunners — for the first time in his professional career. "It's definitely tough to improve as a player when you're not playing a ton of hockey," he said. "I think last year was a good year for me to get a full season."
His time in Tuscon allowed him to finally showcase his talents and grow as a physical, penalty-killing, shutdown defenseman. Pittsburgh took notice.
"I think (physicality) was definitely a big part of why they pursued me a little bit," he said. "I think they kind of wanted that a little bit on their team, and I think that was something I could definitely add, being so they don't have a ton of guys that are overly physical."
Tinordi took notice of Pittsburgh, too. "I've heard from a bunch of people, too, that Pittsburgh's a great organization to be in," he said of his decision to sign with the Penguins. "I know down in Wilkes-Barre, they always have a good team down there, and I heard all the guys get treated really well in Pittsburgh. I just wanted to be a part of that winning culture that they've had over the last couple of years."
He met with Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin in the offseason, and Guerin made their expectations for Tinordi clear. Guerin told Tinordi to just focus on playing his game and not overcomplicate things, and he would fit in with the Penguins' system.
Tinordi missed the first few weeks of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's season after an injury sustained from a preseason hit. Still, he already likes what he's seen in the organization. "Communication is huge, (the coaches) do a really good job of communicating to the players of how they want everyone to play, and what they could do different, things like that. I think that goes a long way for the guys."
Although he's played in just five games this season, he's already made an impact. He tallied his first assist in his second game of the season, against the Toronto Marlies, and impressed with his physicality and shot-blocking abilities on the penalty kill. He blocked three shots on one kill:
The penalty kill, he says, is a part of his game that he really takes pride in.
"I think it goes a long way as far as the game goes,” Tinordi said. "What I see when I'm on the bench and I see guys blocking shots, I know it kind of gets me going a little bit. It's exciting because guys are sacrificing their body for the team."
In his third game of the season, on Nov. 11, he scored his first goal since October 2016. He scored again the following night:
Tinordi doesn't attribute his offensive showing to luck, though. It's a combination of his efforts to take more shots and the organization's expectation to have defensemen be able to join the rush and contribute offensively.
The speed that is emphasized throughout the Penguins' system is a great fit for him too, he believes. "That's kind of the way I've always wanted to play," he said. "Especially for a d-man, you know, you just want to be able to go back and move the puck quick and keep it really simple. I think that kind of plays into my game too, just keep it simple, move the puck quick, and get going on offense."
Fighting is also a part of Tinordi's game. He's dropped the gloves 57 times over the course of his career, and his first fight of the season came this week in Binghamton against Brandon Baddock:
He doesn't go on the ice looking to drop the gloves, he says, but he's not afraid when it happens. "I'm not going to shy away from it. ... If I hit somebody and then something happens, then it happens."
He's held his own in a fight against Tom Wilson during his time in the NHL, something he joked might earn him some points with Pittsburgh fans.
Tinordi is the son of Mark Tinordi, a defenseman who spent 12 seasons in the NHL, mainly with the North Stars and Capitals. Mark was on the 1991 North Stars team that lost to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final and two Capitals teams that were eliminated by the Penguins in the playoffs. Mark, though, was excited for Jarred to join the Penguins.
"He still follows hockey and everything like that," Jarred said of his father. "He gets what Pittsburgh is going through and two Cups back-to-back. I think he was excited for me to get an opportunity on a team that's so good right now is great."
Tinordi is hoping that opportunity comes soon, but he's remaining patient. "That's what you work towards every day," he said of a call from Pittsburgh. "I know that they're healthy right now and playing well, so you really just need to be patient. Each game is an opportunity down here in Wilkes-Barre, and if you put together a couple of good games, stuff happens quick. Just focusing on each game as it comes."
MORE FROM WILKES-BARRE
• Nov. 17: at Binghamton, 4-3 win
• Defenseman Andrey Pedan was suspended three games by the AHL on Nov. 13 as a result of this charging incident on Jakub Zboril in the Nov. 11 game against Providence. He is eligible to return this Saturday:
• Ryan Haggerty got the Penguins off to an early start on Friday, scoring only 12 seconds into the game. Thomas Di Pauli scored his fourth goal in five games, and Binghamton added two goals of their own over the next 40 minutes. Adam Johnson and Christian Thomas scored goals in the third period and the Penguins limited Binghamton to only one more goal to give Wilkes-Barre the win. Casey DeSmith made 31 saves on 34 shots.
• This week's game improves the Penguins' record to 11-2-0-1, with a point percentage of .821, the best in the AHL.
• Lines and defense pairings from Friday:
Dominik Simon - Colin Smith - Christian Thomas
Jarrett Burton - Gage Quinney - Daniel Sprong
Zach Aston-Reese - Jean-Sebastien Dea - Ryan Haggerty
Adam Johnson - Teddy Blueger - Thomas Di Pauli
Chris Summers - Lukas Bengtsson
Kevin Czuczman - Ethan Prow
Jarred Tinordi - Zach Trotman
Garrett Wilson was out of the lineup because of a family matter and was replaced by Jarrett Burton. Lukas Bengtsson returned to the lineup after missing the previous game with an illness. Troy Josephs, Tom Sestito and Tom Kostopoulos remain out of the lineup with injuries.
• Christian Thomas returned from the Karjala Cup tournament in Finland. In three games, he had one goal and no assists. Team Canada went 1-2 in the tournament.
• The Penguins host the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms (10-5-0-2) on Wednesday, then have a home-and-home series with the Syracuse Crunch (4-9-1-2) on Friday and Saturday.
GOALS OF THE WEEK
Christian Thomas' breakaway goal earns the nod this week:
Adam Johnson's laser was his second goal of the season:
SAVE OF THE WEEK
DeSmith's pokecheck protected the Penguins' lead:
TOP PICK TRACKER
• Defenseman Zachary Lauzon (second round, 2017) had one assist in two games with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this week after missing much of the start of the season with an injury. He has two assists and is a minus-1 in his seven games this season. He also had this fight Friday:
• Forward Kasper Bjorkqvist (second round, 2016) and the Providence College Friars played two games with Merrimack College this week, posting a 2-1 win and a 6-6 tie. Bjorkqvist was scoreless in both games.
• Goaltender Filip Gustavsson (second round, 2016) worked with Penguins goaltending development coach Brendan Sullivan in Sweden this week:
Pittsburgh Penguins huvudmålvaktstränare Brendan Sullivan på plats i Luleå för att träffa och jobba med sitt draftval Filip Gustavsson. pic.twitter.com/BdnAXow5t0
— Luleå Hockey (@LuleaHockey) November 14, 2017
Gustavsson took the loss in his one start this week, making 21 saves on 24 shots for Luleå.
• Defenseman Connor Hall (third round, 2016) had one assist and was a plus-4 in four games this week with the OHL's Kitchener Rangers. In 23 games this season, he has four assists and is an overall plus-9.
WHEELING WATCH
This week's Wheeling Watch will take a look at fan favorite Dan Milan, a defenseman with a fun style on and off the ice.
PROSPECT FUN THING
When in New York...
