The Cleveland Monsters have certainly gained an identity amongst their forwards. They are loaded with small, skilled, competitive guys like Trey Fix-Wolansky, James Malatesta, Roman Ahcan, Gavin Brindley, Rocco Grimaldi, and others.
Yesterday, they added another one to the mix. Blue Jackets prospect Luca Pinelli's OHL career came to an end over the weekend, meaning he's now eligible to finish out the year in the American Hockey League. His game should feel very familiar to the Monsters and their fans.
Originally drafted by the Jackets in the fourth round (#114 overall) at the 2023 Draft, Pinelli has seen his stock steadily rise in the last two years. Since being selected, he served as captain for the Ottawa 67s in back to back campaigns, where he accumulated 85 goals and 153 points in 120 games. In those two seasons, he led his team in overall scoring by 21 and 18 points.
This year, Luca also skated for team Canada at the World Junior Championships, where he scored 1 goal and 2 points in 5 games played. Unfortunately, despite being one of the top offensive weapons in the league; his 67s fell short of a playoff spot this year, so he gets to head to Cleveland early.
He'll fit in like one of those little round pegs.
The best descriptor for Pinelli might be the phrase "spark plug". He's always involved in something, whether it's creating offense, laying a hit, or throwing down in a post-whistle scrum; he brings energy and finds ways to get under the opponent's skin. The 5'9", 170 pounder picked up 107 penalty minutes over the last two seasons in the OHL, if you want any proof of his willingness to be involved physically.
With all of that said, this is definitely a player who needs some more seasoning at the AHL level. The scoring is great, and the penalty minute totals will definitely catch your eye. But, his game does need refinements. First off, he's not a burner on the ice like you might expect him to be at his size. He'll have to adjust to the overall pace of professional hockey, and he may get thrown right to the wolves as the AHL season nears its peak.
And, sometimes he has a tendency to get too involved with the physical/emotional side of the game. Look no further than his late season four-game suspension for an illegal check. As with most prospects coming out of junior (especially mid/late round picks), this isn't a perfect player by any means.
But, this is the kind of player who can step in and play up and down the Monsters' lineup as needed. He can contribute offensively, and even if not, he'll find other ways to be involved in the games.
While it stinks that his junior team's season was cut short, I'm excited to see what he can do at the professional level for the late part of this season. This will give him a better idea of what to expect heading into training camp next fall, where he will play at the pro level for the whole year.