Final Thoughts: St. Ivany Re-Emerges as Ready, Penguins Situation Gets Complicated

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ season ended Friday night with a stunning loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Game 2 of their three-game series. Technically, Wilkes-Barre was swept, but the results of the farm team are not what the organization is monitoring.

Team results would have been nice, but the primary goal is the development of the players who could fill roles for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After PHN’s in-person scouting trip to get a close look at the WBS Penguins, it seems there might be some good news. The organization now has a pair of right-side defensemen pushing for time immediately, but the complications arise in roster construction. Unfortunately for someone or multiple someones, all three right-side spots appear to be filled. There is a lot of talent on the Penguins’ right side, but not nearly as much production or defending as there should be.

Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and presumably Conor Timmins have the right side locked up. Timmins is an RFA, but was a late season trade acquisition, so he appears likely to return.

Based on the words of Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas and the glowing recommendation of WBS coach Kirk MacDonald, Jack St. Ivany turned his season around.

From our observation, the monster has returned.

It was a roller-coaster season for St. Ivany, 25, as he began the year in the NHL, but unsteady and tentative play earned him a few healthy scratches and eventually a trip back to WBS in December. Shortly thereafter, he suffered a broken finger, which cost him nearly two months. Finally, on Jan. 27, he returned to the WBS lineup and, more importantly, got his season on track.

“Obviously, things weren’t working (in Pittsburgh). He had a bit of a reset to come down. I thought his first game was a little helter-skelter. And then we were in Hartford, and he was outstanding. I can remember the game in December. He was moving pucks north. He was really good on the penalty kill, and then he broke his finger,” MacDonald said. “Then he was out eight weeks or whatever it is. He was a bit slow to get back into rhythm, but I thought the last, geez, whatever it’s been since whenever he came back–late January–I thought from February until now he’s been outstanding for us.

“Just his aggressiveness, his ability to move pucks north. He understands what he has to do. He doesn’t overdo it.”

MacDonald wasn’t done praising St. Ivany, either. In the nearly two-minute-long answer, MacDonald paused a few times and shook his head at other times to convey just how far St. Ivany had exceeded expectations and the impressive levels to which St. Ivany took his game.

“He’s taken a leadership role for us. He just competes really, really hard. He’s everything that you want on your team. (He) encapsulates that a little bit with the compete level and the commitment level,” said MacDonald. “Everybody plays a different style, but everybody can compete and be invested, and I think he’s been outstanding for us. I know management mentioned guys like him will have an opportunity next year … You know, I love a lot of what he brings to the table.”

St. Ivany was the first defenseman that Dubas referenced during his season-ending press conference, who should challenge for NHL ice time next season. On our trip, it was quickly obvious why. It’s also quite easy to see why Dubas would want St. Ivany in the Penguins’ lineup.

Collectively, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ defensemen have what some might call a serious problem of upholding the core principles of their employment. Simply, they do not defend well.

A big, physical defenseman who understands his role and would shortcut some of Dubas’s badly needed fixes on the blue line.

Why Dubas acquired Timmins with St. Ivany playing so well is a little bit of a mystery, but if the GM trades Karlsson, or even Letang, this summer, pieces could fall into place. Some combination of Letang-Timmins-St. Ivany would work well.

Of course, to get to the point where a lesser-talented blue line would be better than what Dubas previously built is a quantum mechanics calculation with an emotional variable, but nonetheless true. The Penguins need more defense on their defense.

The other player who is ready for NHL work is Harrison Brunicke. Unfortunately, he, too, is right-handed. Despite a dearth of righties on the NHL market, the Penguins suddenly have a problem with too many.

Brunicke is in a bad spot. Playing him in the NHL next season could stunt his growth as he survives, not thrives. However, sending him back to the WHL could also stunt his growth because he’s clearly too good for junior hockey.

Brunicke is six months younger than fellow 2024 Penguins second-round pick Tanner Howe. Howe was born in November, so he could turn pro next season (but just had reconstructive ACL knee surgery), but Brunicke, who was born in May, cannot.

It’s a stupid rule, but the Canadian establishment is dead set against altering the CHL transfer agreement, no matter how common sense some changes might be. Not until large numbers of American players go to college for a year and then turn pro will we see changes to keep up.

Read More: Character Revealed: Penguins Prospect Analysis in Heartbreaking Loss (+)

Brunicke is a smooth defenseman. We went more in-depth in the analysis above, but in just four AHL games, he clearly showed he could handle an NHL workload. As veteran defensemen made mistakes over the last WBS games, Brunicke and St. Ivany were clean. Brunicke even scored his first professional goal when he ripped a shot from the left circle on the rush.

The Penguins want to continue to add youth and enthusiasm, but also improve the defense. The myriad of factors, ranging from loyalty to Letang’s 35+ contract to Karlsson’s maddeningly uninspired play, make trades will not be easy.

The good news is that St. Ivany and Brunicke have done their job, as have the Penguins’ player development. It’s Dubas’s move, but he is trapped. His goals and his actions might necessarily conflict.