Penguins take new, odd routes to find first time NHL players
The Penguins had some unexpected beginnings in 2023-24 from unexpected places
Last summer, here on Pensburgh we didn’t think there would be too many first time NHL players for Pittsburgh to break onto their NHL roster in 2023-24. The rationale was sound at the time:
The rest of Pittsburgh’s 2019, 2020 and 2021 draft classes are either low-hope, long-shot type of prospects who are either unsigned, have been traded or are out of the organization all together.
It was the case that the Penguins’ recent draft classes didn’t provide much for them in 2023-24. However, Kyle Dubas’ seeking high and low to shuffle in talent around the margins of the roster resulted in more than expected new faces. Let’s see what we learned about the ways to find new players.
Ryan Shea - found in free agency after three years of service with the Dallas Stars (spent entirely at the minor league level), Shea was thought to be simply organizational depth. But it didn’t take long before he earned a more important spot on the team.
What we learned: The importance of training camp. Shea at age 26/27 wasn’t flashy, but stuck around longer than expected and in a bigger than expected role, making the NHL roster out of training camp (where he would stay until getting waived on December 18th). The foundation of that was laid in September, where the coaches liked what they saw from Shea, who didn’t give them a reason not to like him until he eventually faded from the picture. Even then, it would be a happy ending for Shea, who played the final nine NHL games of the season with a generally positive impression left.
John Ludvig - not many had heard of the 23-year old Ludvig when Florida waived him in October. The Pens were ready to pounce, however, and kept him on their NHL roster for the entire 2023-24 season.
What we learned: Pro level scouting matters. Under Kyle Dubas, the Pens were very active in picking off the waiver wire, knowing the details about which fringe level players might be able to add to a new NHL team is a vital skill to have. Ludvig’s physicality and style, as Dubas noted, usually costs a mid-round draft pick for teams to stock up on. They got one here for free.
Marc Johnstone - A Dubas find from several years ago, Johnstone followed the new GM into his new team.
What we learned: Dreams can come true, if only briefly. Johnstone has a great story of the under-dog clawing his way up to the very top. He only played one NHL game (and kinda got the short-end of the stick being on the ice for a goal against) and was gone. The Pens’ could have used more energetic performances and fresh vibes, but Johnstone wasn’t given too big of a chance to show his stuff.
Jack St. Ivany - The rare make good from the Ron Hextall days, St. Ivany broke through to the NHL level after a quiet almost two year apprenticeship in Wilkes-Barre.
What we learned: Roster, standings can determine opportunity. Had the Penguins been in higher up in the playoff pecking order at the deadline, they probably don’t trade away reliable veteran defender Chad Ruhwedel. If the Pens don’t trade Ruhwedel, there wouldn’t have been a roster/lineup spot opened up for St. Ivany to get a look. St. Ivany impressed with a steady game late in the season, but the only reason he was getting NHL playing time was due to Pittsburgh being down and out in the first place (even though they played their way almost back into the mix). This type of situation could happen more in the future for the Pens as they look to get younger and move on from older players who have been filling spots for a few years like Ruhwedel had been. Getting to see what’s on hand with St. Ivany is the natural evolution as a team turns over and looks toward the future.
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No one is going to throw a parade or remember 2023-24 in Pittsburgh as the complete start of something new, but in some regard it’s pretty remarkable that Dubas and the Pens found a way to incorporate and acquire four new players to get debuts at the NHL level this season. And today’s outlook doesn’t even count a player like Valtteri Puustinen (who made his one-game NHL debut back in 2021-22 and then was on ice in the AHL for all of 2022-23) and found his way into 52 games this season.
As the Pens get younger and move onto fresher faces, they’ll hope to add more newcomers in the years ahead. Some might flame out quickly and be minor footnotes at the NHL level, as perhaps a couple from 2023-24 will be. But some others might find real futures over the short and medium turn at the NHL level. And that type of young, team-friendly salaried talent is what every team is searching for.