CRANBERRY, Pa. -- When 2018 fourth-round pick Jack St. Ivany became a free agent on Aug. 15, it didn't take long for teams to come knocking for his services.
It didn't take long for the defenseman to make a decision on where he wanted to play next, either.
On Aug. 20, St. Ivany inked a two-year entry-level contract with the Penguins that carries a cap hit of $950,000 at the NHL level.
"It was kind of a quick decision once my season ended," St. Ivany told me following the second day of Penguins rookie camp at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. "I moved on from that pretty quickly and I’m more than happy to be here. Pittsburgh’s the best organization in the league, so honestly, it worked out perfectly for me.
"Once the free agency period hits, it’s sort of a quick couple of days of talking to teams, but for me, in the back of my head I always knew I wanted to play in Pittsburgh."
St. Ivany went on to say that he believes everything happens for a reason, and that he can't wait to get into some game action. He'll have the chance to do so on Saturday when Penguins prospects travel to Buffalo for a lone tournament game against Bruins prospects.
The team that drafted -- and never signed -- St. Ivany back in 2018 was the Flyers. Ron Hextall was their general manager at the time. Did an already established relationship with Hextall make his decision even easier after he already knew he wanted to play for the Penguins?
"Yeah, of course," St. Ivany said. "He’s one of the best general managers in the league, so to be wanted by him is saying something. I was super excited when I heard that they were interested in me. I was really familiar and it was easy to talk with them."
Although it didn't play into his decision, St. Ivany said he's had a smooth transition through the first two days of camp because he knows several other players participating in camp from his collegiate and junior playing days.
"I knew a few guys just from playing college," he said. "Actually, Colin Swoyer was my D-partner in Sioux Falls, so it’s nice seeing a familiar face like him. A few other guys like (Jonathan) Gruden, (Tommy) Nappier, (Corey) Andonovski and (Ty) Glover just from playing college."
St. Ivany played two seasons in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, racking up 46 points in 106 games. After that, he jumped to college hockey and played for Yale over the next two seasons, in which he hovered right around a point every other game.
When the COVID pandemic hit, Ivy league schools cancelled the 2020-21 season as a precaution, but St. Ivany wasn't going to sit on his hands and miss an entire season's worth of games. He decided to transfer to Boston College, where he spent the next two seasons. In 53 games, he tallied five goals and 25 assists.
I asked St. Ivany if he believes his decision to transfer ultimately helped him get to the position he's in now.
"Yeah, I think it helped my development," he responded. "It would’ve been tough to take a year off, not playing games. To make that step over to another school was tough socially and leaving your buddies that you played college with, but for me it worked out really well in hockey. (I) got to play for a great coach there and meet some new teammates and play with some really good players. It was a great step for me and I wouldn’t change what I did at all."
It can be tough for individuals to really stand out in a practice environment. That's even more true for defensemen, whose performance away from the puck is just as important with the puck on their stick. I wasn't able to get much of a read on St. Ivany from what I saw over the first two days of camp, so I asked him to describe himself as a player.
"I’m a two-way, puck-moving defenseman," St. Ivany said. "I’ve got a really good stick and some good length to me. I need to, like everybody, improve on my skating, get bigger and stronger because that’s what it takes to play at the next level."
Rookie camp and development camp aren't really meant to focus on any one individual's improvement. Rather, they're mostly meant to establish a groundwork and standard for the prospects to follow. So, while St. Ivany admits his game is far from a finished product, most of the feedback he's received from coaches has been geared toward the team level.
"First couple days here it’s been more team stuff that we work on," he said. "We worked on breakouts yesterday and it was D-zone coverage today. So yeah, they give you little teaching tips here and there, but right now the focus is on competing and earning a spot on the team."
Obviously, the breakouts and D-zone coverage the Penguins run throughout the system is going to be a bit different from the systems he played in during college, but ultimately, the principals and end goals are the same regardless.
"There’s some differences here and there between little things," St. Ivany responded when I asked about tactical differences, "but for the most part for defending, it’s making sure that they don’t put the puck in your net. There’s a lot of similarities across the board, but there’s certain things that you learn differently from each team and how they like to play things. It’s been a quick learning period."
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest also played for Boston College during his playing days, so he was somewhat familiar with St. Ivany before the Penguins signed him. Even though Forrest isn't ready to make a proclamation on St. Ivany's outlook after two days of camp, he is intrigued by what he's seen.
"I know Jack a little bit just because he went to B.C. the last couple years there, and that’s where I went to school, so I kind of pay attention to them irregardless," Forrest told reporters on Thursday. "For me, it’s his skating ability, his puck-moving ability. He was pretty good on the power play there. He’s got some size, some length. I don’t have enough background to go too deep, but so far, I really liked what I saw today."
Forrest's assistant coach, Kevin Porter, shares that intrigue despite his limited time around St. Ivany.
"He’s a big, good skating defenseman," Porter said following practice on Friday. "He’s played physical, as well. He’s looked really good. It’s the first time I’ve seen him. I’ve heard a lot about him, but we’re excited to see him in a game situation tomorrow."
