This is going to be difficult for some of you to hear.
It’s going to go against much of what you read on social media in the aftermath of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Things that you once believed to be true seem to be the opposite of what we’ve all been led to believe.
Are you sitting down? Okay here it goes.
Shane Pinto, selected 32nd overall in the 2019 Draft by the Ottawa Senators, is actually very good. I know what you’re thinking- but people on Twitter told me he was terrible? They told me that Ottawa made the wrong selection? That it was a safe a pick? That it was same ol’ Senators leaving all sorts of draft talent on the board.
I know, I know. I read it too.
But watching the now 20-year old Shane Pinto completely dominate at UND it appears that, and this is the hardest part of all this, the Ottawa Senators knew what they were doing. And the Twitter accounts that we all know, love and trust may have underestimated Pinto.
While the emergence of Jake Sanderson and Tyler Kleven has been a story early-on and the steady play of Jacob Bernard-Docker continues to impress, it’s the sheer domination of Pinto that has probably been the most encouraging theme in the early going of North Dakota’s season.
He can do it all.
Strong two-way play, a willingness to get to the front of the net and out-of-this-world numbers in the faceoff circle. Also, as we learned last year and again last night, he can absolutely hammer a puck.
His performance throughout last season including at the World Juniors and early this year has the caught the eye of Sens fans and of many around the hockey world.
At 20-years of age, it’s pretty clear that Pinto’s game has reached another level this season. And he may just be scratching the surface of his potential as a hockey player.
Through five games, he has a ridiculous 8 points, scoring goals in a variety of ways. At 1.6 points per game, he sits 3rd in the NCAA. He’s also proven to downright dominant in the faceoff circle, humming along at over 68% including that 18 for 18 performance last week.
Not a bad start.
It will be fascinating to watch his development over the course of this season. How his game ultimately translates at the pro-level remains to be seen but the fact that he’s proven responsible in his own end of the rink is a good start. It’s not hard to imagine him knocking on the door of an NHL roster spot as early as next season.
The really scary thing is…if the Ottawa Senators were right about Shane Pinto…what else were they right about?!
