Penguins A to Z: Jack St. Ivany is a small part of the future

With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 52 individuals signed to an NHL contract – including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.

This series is scheduled to be published every day leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)

Jack St. Ivany

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Right

Age: 24

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 198 pounds

2023-24 NHL statistics: 14 games, one point (zero goals, one assist), 13:42 of average ice time per game

2023-24 AHL statistics: 54 games, 15 points (four goals, 11 assists)

2023-24 AHL postseason statistics: Two games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)

Contract: In the final year of a two-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $857,500. Entering the first year of a three-year contract with a salary cap hit of $775,000. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2027

(Notes: St. Ivany is exempt from waivers for any assignments to a minor-league affiliate … The first two years of St. Ivany’s upcoming contract are two-way while the final year is one-way.)

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, Aug. 20, 2022

Last season: If you were surprised to see Jack St. Ivany get a recall to the NHL level late in the 2023-24 season, you weren’t alone.

St. Ivany admitted to some surprise as well when he found himself in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ dressing room in mid-March.

But any uncertainty over St. Ivany’s status with the club went well beyond a mundane transaction in the final stages of a regular season.

As a reclamation project of former general manager Ron Hextall who plucked St. Ivany out of the Philadelphia Flyers’ system in 2022, the right-handed defenseman had an unremarkable first professional season in 2022-23. With new management in place, St. Ivany — at least externally — seemed like another body that would cycle out of the system once his entry-level contract expired.

Instead, his development took a massive jump and he earned a place in the NHL.

After being assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fairly early into training camp on Sept. 28, St. Ivany spent the first five-and-a-half months of the season in the American Hockey League.

St. Ivany opened the 2023-24 campaign on the right side of the AHL Penguins’ third pairing before getting promoted to the second pairing by Nov. 10 and largely remained in that station until late January.

Along the way, St. Ivany achieved a milestone when he scored his first career professional goal in a 6-2 home loss to the Charlotte Checkers on Dec. 30.

IVES'S FIRST AHL GOAL!!!! pic.twitter.com/Rx4KNOd2qu

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 31, 2023

Following another bump up the trough to the top pairing on Jan. 24, St. Ivany missed three games to open February before returning with a two-goal outburst in a 6-1 road win against the Toronto Marlies on Feb 14.

What a rip from Ives! pic.twitter.com/dFnxtPsuug

— Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (@WBSPenguins) February 14, 2024

As St. Ivany alternated between the first and second pairings over the next month, the Pittsburgh Penguins dealt long-time reserve Chad Ruhwedel, a staple on the right side of the third pairing, away at the trade deadline on March 8.

That led to St. Ivany earning his first NHL recall seven days later. While he was shuffled between the NHL and AHL rosters a handful of times in paper transactions, St. Ivany made his NHL debut March 22 and never left the lineup.

Predominantly deployed on the third pairing with fellow first-year NHLer Ryan Shea, St. Ivany dressed for the team’s final 14 games and offered a mostly quiet, safe approach during the team’s furious but futile push for a playoff berth in during the last stretch of the regular season.

His first career NHL point — an assist — came during a 6-3 road win against the New Jersey Devils on April 2 when forward Evgeni Malkin tipped in a point shot by St. Ivany.

Two Pittsburgh goals in 67 seconds ????

The Penguins have an overall record of 385-87-46 when both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin record a point in a game. pic.twitter.com/vhY7rXRVXL

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 3, 2024

One day after the Pittsburgh Penguins’ regular season concluded, St. Ivany was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on March 18. Along with Shea, he worked the top pairing for the AHL Penguins’ two-game playoff run.

Originally scheduled to become a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason, St. Ivany signed a three-year contract extension May 21.

The future: Going into the 2024-25 campaign, St. Ivany is the favorite to open on the right side of the third pairing. He largely colors inside the lines of the team’s scheme, works the penalty kill a bit and even offers a small measure of physicality.

All of those factors along with his league-minimum salary cap hit gives him a great shot to be in the lineup on opening night.

What’s even more enticing about St. Ivany is that he is only entering his third professional season. It’s intriguing to wonder how much higher of a ceiling he could have.

St. Ivany reaching the NHL might have been a surprise, but he has become a small part of the Penguins’ future.

Follow the Penguins all season long.