The Penguins announced just moments ago that the team has re-signed defenseman Jack St. Ivany to a three year contract extension.
St. Ivany arrived in the Penguins organization as a free agent. Originally a fourth round pick (112th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers, he was never signed to an entry level contract with the team, and their rights to him expired in 2022.
In the meantime, St. Ivany played four years of college hockey, playing the first two years at Yale before transferring to Boston College.
Then, in August of 2022, then-Penguins general manager Ron Hextall picked him up and signed him to a two-year entry level deal.
Hextall had actually drafted St. Ivany when he was the general manager of the Flyers in 2018, the last draft class he would run for the team before being fired.
St. Ivany was a restricted free agent after his deal with the Penguins expired. He played the 2022-23 season fully in the American Hockey League, logging 63 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
He began the 2023-24 season with WBS as well, but late in the year as injuries and other absences mounted, the Penguins called up St. Ivany to Pittsburgh. He played very well defensively down the stretch for the Penguins.
He essentially stepped into the role that Chad Ruhwedel was performing until he was traded, and ironically St. Ivany’s game modeled that of Ruhwedel’s very well. He played a quiet, shutdown role and was rarely noticeable on the ice; that’s exactly what you want from someone in his position.
The only real difference between St. Ivany’s game and Ruhwedel’s game was the physicality. St. Ivany played a bit more with the body than Ruhwedel did, but perhaps having those few extra inches in height explains that.
He worked incredibly well with fellow call-up Ryan Shea, and the duo formed a very serviceable third pairing for the Penguins as they battled till the very last game to try and make a last ditch playoff appearance.
From the blue line, he had 1 assist in his 14 games with Pittsburgh.
St. Ivany will be 25 at the start of next season, and if he impresses in training camp there’s a very solid chance he makes the opening night roster for the Penguins. For him, it could be considered a make or break year.
As for the contract itself, the deal is an absolute steal for the Penguins. Though it is yet to be confirmed, the team’s wording of his $775 cap hit at the NHL level would imply that it’s a two way contract.
If it is, that just makes it all the more of a steal for the Penguins. It’s a no risk deal for the team, who could send him back to the AHL without a care if he can’t make the team come October.
However, even if it isn’t a two way deal, depth on the blue line is always important, and to get somebody who could be your sixth/seventh defenseman on a league minimum deal is insane value.
Not to mention, they get that value for three years. Regardless of what happens, three years at that low of a rate, especially with the salary cap starting to go up again, is tremendous.
I do think St. Ivany has the potential to be a full-time NHL defenseman, but he will need to prove that his run in March and April wasn’t a fluke. There will no doubt be some competition for lower level spots on that defensive core, and St. Ivany will need to rise to the challenge.
(Featured photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
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