This is the second part of a 30-part series taking a look at the seasons of players who spent significant time on the Penguins' NHL roster this season, presented in numerical order.
JACK ST. IVANY Position: Defense Age: 26 NHL stats: 7 assists, 20 games Contract status: Signed through 2026-27, $775,000 cap hit (waivers-eligible)
The Penguins' western Canada trip looked to be Jack St. Ivany's real breakout.
St. Ivany came into training camp hopeful to battle for the open spot on the right side of the Penguins' third pairing, but a preseason foot injury from a blocked shot ended those hopes and sidelined him until mid-December.
Finally healthy, St. Ivany was hitting his stride by mid-January, no doubt bolstered by being reunited on a pairing with Ryan Shea. In the five games from Jan. 17-25, he wasn't on the ice for a single five-on-five goal against, and was on the ice for the third-lowest rate of high-danger attempts among Penguins defensemen. He was noticeably effective at protecting the net-front. He was blocking shots at the second-highest rate, and had four assists in that span.
He played his best game in the Penguins' Jan. 22 6-2 win over the Oilers, and earned the admiration of his teammates for one sequence in the first period. Edmonton's Evan Bouchard ripped a one-timer that St. Ivany blocked with his left ankle, dropping in clear pain. He was struggling to move, but stayed on the ice and continued to dive in front of Oilers shots until the Penguins got the puck out of their end and St. Ivany could get to the bench. It looked like he might have shattered his ankle, or been otherwise seriously injured. But he was right back out there for the start of the next period, and had a strong finish in the win.
"It's a big block," Muse said. "We needed that. We had a breakdown, and so we needed something big in that moment, and he came up with it. He just stuck with it, and credit to him."
Three nights later, St. Ivany took a puck to the left hand in Vancouver and suffered an injury that necessitated surgery and just about ended his season. He got a conditioning stint in the AHL in March, then was a healthy scratch until the Penguins' last three meaningless games of the regular season. He skated in all three of those games, combining for a minus-3 rating, one block, eight hits and five giveaways -- a far cry from the way he was playing in January.
It's tough to judge St. Ivany's season, given the circumstances. You can't ignore the stretch mid-season where he looked like a legitimate, full-time NHL defenseman, but that was a short sample size. Given the nature of his injuries -- a big shot to the foot, an errant shot to the hand -- it wouldn't exactly be fair to label him "injury prone."
St. Ivany, at his best, is going to be a physical, reliable, penalty-killing shutdown defenseman, likely no higher in the lineup than on the third pairing. And for a team that already has Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang on the right side, that's all the Penguins need.
But St. Ivany is going to be 27 years old this summer. He's past being one of the "young guys." He's played in just 53 total NHL games. Had it not been for some pretty poor luck this season, he might have been able to carve out a full year in the NHL, and been in a good spot to defend his role going into next season.
Even assuming Connor Clifton walks in free agency, it will be an uphill battle for St. Ivany to earn a spot out of camp. Ilya Solovyov, though left-handed, can play on the right side and brings similar attributes. Harrison Brunicke earned a spot out of camp last year on the right side, and is going to be another year older with more experience under his belt.
Can St. Ivany come into training camp and earn that full-time spot? It might be his last chance to do so in Pittsburgh.
THE ASYLUM
Season review: Can St. Ivany stick?
This is the second part of a 30-part series taking a look at the seasons of players who spent significant time on the Penguins' NHL roster this season, presented in numerical order.
JACK ST. IVANY
Position: Defense
Age: 26
NHL stats: 7 assists, 20 games
Contract status: Signed through 2026-27, $775,000 cap hit (waivers-eligible)
The Penguins' western Canada trip looked to be Jack St. Ivany's real breakout.
St. Ivany came into training camp hopeful to battle for the open spot on the right side of the Penguins' third pairing, but a preseason foot injury from a blocked shot ended those hopes and sidelined him until mid-December.
Finally healthy, St. Ivany was hitting his stride by mid-January, no doubt bolstered by being reunited on a pairing with Ryan Shea. In the five games from Jan. 17-25, he wasn't on the ice for a single five-on-five goal against, and was on the ice for the third-lowest rate of high-danger attempts among Penguins defensemen. He was noticeably effective at protecting the net-front. He was blocking shots at the second-highest rate, and had four assists in that span.
He played his best game in the Penguins' Jan. 22 6-2 win over the Oilers, and earned the admiration of his teammates for one sequence in the first period. Edmonton's Evan Bouchard ripped a one-timer that St. Ivany blocked with his left ankle, dropping in clear pain. He was struggling to move, but stayed on the ice and continued to dive in front of Oilers shots until the Penguins got the puck out of their end and St. Ivany could get to the bench. It looked like he might have shattered his ankle, or been otherwise seriously injured. But he was right back out there for the start of the next period, and had a strong finish in the win.
"It's a big block," Muse said. "We needed that. We had a breakdown, and so we needed something big in that moment, and he came up with it. He just stuck with it, and credit to him."
Three nights later, St. Ivany took a puck to the left hand in Vancouver and suffered an injury that necessitated surgery and just about ended his season. He got a conditioning stint in the AHL in March, then was a healthy scratch until the Penguins' last three meaningless games of the regular season. He skated in all three of those games, combining for a minus-3 rating, one block, eight hits and five giveaways -- a far cry from the way he was playing in January.
It's tough to judge St. Ivany's season, given the circumstances. You can't ignore the stretch mid-season where he looked like a legitimate, full-time NHL defenseman, but that was a short sample size. Given the nature of his injuries -- a big shot to the foot, an errant shot to the hand -- it wouldn't exactly be fair to label him "injury prone."
St. Ivany, at his best, is going to be a physical, reliable, penalty-killing shutdown defenseman, likely no higher in the lineup than on the third pairing. And for a team that already has Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang on the right side, that's all the Penguins need.
But St. Ivany is going to be 27 years old this summer. He's past being one of the "young guys." He's played in just 53 total NHL games. Had it not been for some pretty poor luck this season, he might have been able to carve out a full year in the NHL, and been in a good spot to defend his role going into next season.
Even assuming Connor Clifton walks in free agency, it will be an uphill battle for St. Ivany to earn a spot out of camp. Ilya Solovyov, though left-handed, can play on the right side and brings similar attributes. Harrison Brunicke earned a spot out of camp last year on the right side, and is going to be another year older with more experience under his belt.
Can St. Ivany come into training camp and earn that full-time spot? It might be his last chance to do so in Pittsburgh.
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