CRANBERRY, Pa. -- The Penguins added some toughness to the organization on the opening day of free agency with the addition of winger Boko Imama on a one-year, two-way deal.
Imama, 28, is an eighth-year pro who has spent his career to this point split between the Kings, Coyotes and Senators organizations. Entering this offseason he was looking forward to a "fresh start, new opportunity." Pittsburgh came calling early, and Imama had heard nothing but good things about the organization from his good buddy P.O Joseph. It was an easy decision to sign.
"Now, to see it for myself, it's awesome," Imama said at the Penguins' morning skate on Tuesday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex ahead of his preseason debut against the Sabres.
Imama, who is listed at 6 foot 1 and 220 pounds, describes himself as an "energy player."
"Obviously, I love to play physical," Imama told me. "And I think I can do great things on both sides of the ice. When things get chippy, I take it on my shoulder to come in and protect my teammates also. So just a little bit of everything."
Taking on that kind of enforcer role came naturally to Imama. He was always one of the bigger kids coming up through junior in the QMJHL, and he learned how to use his size early. The fighting just followed.
"It just happens that after a hit, guys will challenge me and I'm not the type to back down," Imama said. "Taking on the challenge and just having success through the fights kind of gave me that reputation, gave me that name, and now it's something that I embrace doing for my teammates."
Imama spent most of last season with the Senators' AHL affiliate in Belleville, racking up 115 penalty minutes in 53 games -- a figure that includes seven fights, including against Matt Rempe, Kurtis MacDermid and Kyle Clifford. But he also contributed three goals and seven assists, plus a goal and two assists in seven playoff games. He was scoreless in six NHL games with Ottawa.
On the opening day of free agency, Kyle Dubas made clear that they saw Imama as someone who can do a whole lot more than drop the gloves, though. They like what he can bring on and off the ice aside from the fighting.
"I think the key thing for me when we went on the film on (Imama) was his ability on the forecheck," Dubas said. "He's very effective there. It's getting in on the forecheck, being physical, separating people from the puck, winning possession. It's not just fighting. Obviously, he's a very tough customer. But for us, there's a good player there as well. He's proven himself at the American League, he's been able to come up and play in the NHL. We want him to come in and be a good player for us down (in Wilkes-Barre), help the young guys out. He's got a great reputation, he's been a captain in the American Hockey League before. We're excited to have him."
Imama will surely start the season in the AHL, where he's a pretty good candidate to fill the captaincy vacancy at that level. Whether he wears the 'C' or not, he'll take on that kind of leadership role for a pretty young group of players.
"That's something I really take pride in," Imama said of being a leader. "For me, it's just leading by example, showing up to work every day, just having the right work ethic, and try to have people join on the ship. That's how I take pride in my leadership."
That work ethic, Imama says, comes from his parents. Imama was born in Montreal after his mother Kumbia, and father Bokondji immigrated to Canada from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Inside of the home my dad did his best to teach me about work ethic and the resilience that he had to grow up in that environment when he was back in Africa," Imama said. "My dad tried to remind me the best he can, pretty much every day, how special it is for him to just see the family name on an NHL jersey. For him, it means a lot. So I'm just trying to do my best to make him proud and make everyone proud."
EDDIE PROVIDENT
Boko Imama
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• The Penguins used these lines and pairings at the skate. Forward Tanner Howe skated on defense with Harrison Brunicke, which suggests that they're the odd ones out tonight.
Rutger McGroarty - Kevin Hayes - Cody Glass
Anthony Beauvillier - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Boko Imama - Joona Koppanen - Marc Johnstone
Jonathan Gruden - Sam Poulin - Avery Hayes
Ryan Graves - Jack St. Ivany
Ryan Shea - Sebastian Aho
Owen Pickering - Filip Kral
Tanner Howe - Harrison Brunicke
• Alex Nedeljkovic will start. The team wouldn’t say whether the plan is for him to play the full game or split with Joel Blomqvist.
• Top power play: Sebastian Aho, Rutger McGroarty, Kevin Hayes, Cody Glass, Anthony Beauvillier
• Second power play: Filip Kral, Avery Hayes, Noel Acciari, Marc Johnstone, Sam Poulin
• Zero changes to the statuses of the injured guys. Erik Karlsson, Matt Nieto and Jagger Joshua all skated on their own today.
