The Edmonton Oilers made a few trades back in January of 2014, including a pair on the same day that saw Devan Dubnyk leave town and Ben Scrivens and Matt Hendricks enter the fold. Those two deals had an impact on the roster, so it was easy to forget the third trade of the week, the deal that brought Steve Pinizzotto to Edmonton.
The Means Of Entry:
The Oilers made a deal with the Florida Panthers in January that sent disappointing prospect Ryan Martindale and AHL’er Derek Nesbitt out of town for Pinizzotto and AHL forward Jack Combs. Pinizzotto turned pro in 2006-07, playing in the Capitals organization at the AHL and ECHL levels until the 2011-12 season when he joined the Canucks, playing at the AHL and NHL level.
His NHL debut came in a 12 game stint in 2012-13 for Vancouver, but he was largely ineffective. He signed in Florida last July, and played in the AHL for San Antonio prior to the deal. He played in OKC for a stretch before a six game trial with the Oilers at the end of the season. He returned to OKC for the playoffs following the Oilers regular season.
Pinizzotto was re-signed to a one-year contract this past spring, and will attend camp with the Oilers.
The Boxcars:
Steve Pinizzotto is an energy player, so he’s not a guy that teams look to for offense on a regular basis. He’s never been a guy that produces a lot of points, and his value usually isn’t found in the boxcars. That said, the last few seasons he’s been at least respectable in this regard, posting totals in the AHL that could translate to at least decent at the NHL-level.
Pinizzotto enjoyed his break-out season in 2009-10 playing for Hershey in the AHL, posting 41 points in 69 games. He followed that up in 2010-11 with another solid season in Hershey, playing in 68 games and posting 42 games, including a career high 17 goals at the AHL level.
Pinizzotto moved on to the Canucks’ organization for 2011-12 season, but suffered an injury during a pre-season game and missed the whole season. He returned for 2012-13, playing in 24 games at the AHL level and recording 12 points before getting the call to Vancouver, where he played 12 games, but had no points.
He signed with Florida in the off-season, and was cut in camp. He was sent to San Antonio of the AHL were he played 21 games and recorded seven points before the trade. In OKC, Pinizzotto played 30 games and had a solid point total, recording 18 points. He was called up to Edmonton, where he posted two assists in six games.
The Player:
Steve Pinizzotto has only played in 18 NHL games, but he’s an older player, already at 30 years old. He’s not huge, but has decent size at 6’1” and 200 pounds. He’s an agitator in every sense of the word, and is the typical energy player in the NHL.
Pinizzotto is a physical player who loves to throw his body around. We saw this a ton in his six-game NHL stint, where he seemingly hit anything that moved and made his presence felt physically. He’s also more than willing to drop the gloves and fight, giving a team that element to their lineup. He’s willing to stand up for guys, and willing to fight the battles he creates with his style.
He’ll get under the opponent’s skin on a regular basis, something Edmonton has had a tough time doing the last few seasons. We saw this during a game when Anaheim was in town late in the season where Pinizzotto fought two Ducks and was deep under the skin of a few players.
His one problem in this regard is that he is a hot-head, and from time to time does some things that can be best described as stupid, he’s a risk for suspension. He plays on the line, and from time to time he crosses it.
He’s described as having a great work ethic too, and we saw that as he was always moving his feet and getting engaged. That’s a plus.
Defensively, Pinizzotto is nothing to write home about. He’s not a shut-down forward and he’s not a defensive specialist. His Corsi numbers are okay at best, and he’s not a guy that you would count on like Boyd Gordon in the defensive zone. At best, he’s average in this regard.
Offensively, as we discussed above, Pinizzotto has put up decent AHL numbers the last few seasons. He struggled during his first few pro years, but as he adapted to the AHL game he produced decent, but not great, point totals. He’ll never be an offensive difference maker, and likely looks like a 20 point a year guy.
Steve Pinizzotto is best described as a physical energy player with a little offense and what can be called average two-way play. He’s a classic tweener that is a break away from a career as a bottom line player.
The 2014-15 Outlook:
Steve Pinizzotto will come to camp with an NHL job on the line. The Oilers are looking for a fourth line right winger, and Pinizzotto will be in the mix. His competition? Tyler Pitlick, who is seen as the favorite, and Jesse Joensuu, who is coming off of a terrible NHL season.
He’ll have a shot at the NHL roster this year, and I suspect he makes it out of the gate with Luke Gazdic likely still on the IR with his shoulder injury. I’d expect Pinizzotto to spend time in both Edmonton and Oklahoma City during the 2014-15 hockey season.
He’ll have a chance to win a full-time NHL job this year, and will be a player to keep an eye on during training camp.
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