| Shane Pinto | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Pinto with theOttawa Senators in 2023 | |||
| Born | (2000-11-12)November 12, 2000 (age 24) Franklin Square, New York, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Ottawa Senators | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 32nd overall,2019 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||
Shane Pinto (born November 12, 2000) is an American professionalice hockeycenter for theOttawa Senators of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 32nd overall by the Senators, the first pick in the second round of the2019 NHL entry draft.
Pinto was born November 12, 2000, inFranklin Square, New York.[1] He grew up in an athletic household: his father Frank grew up playingbaseball, while his mother Catherine and older sister Brianna both playedsoftball.[2][3] Pinto began ice skating at the age of seven and joined his first organized hockey team two years later, but he preferred baseball andAmerican football toice hockey.[3][4] He did not decide to focus on hockey until the age of 14, when Pinto suffered aclavicle fracture during football practice that left him temporarily unable to play another sport.[3]
Pinto spent most of hisminor ice hockey career with the Brooklyn Aviators, a second-tier team in theUnited States Premier Hockey League (USPHL).[5] At the age of 12, he helped lead his Aviators team to a state championship.[6] After two years atH. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School in Franklin Square, Pinto left forSouth Kent School in Connecticut to further his ice hockey career. In his final season there, he recorded 34goals and 31assists for 65points in 54 games and was part of the 2018 USA Hockey National Championship team.[7][8]
After the 2016–17 season, Pinto was drafted in the 21st round, 330th overall, by theLincoln Stars of theUnited States Hockey League (USHL).[4] He then joined the USHL for the2018–19 regular season where he quickly began producing for the Stars. Through his first 30 games in the league, Pinto tallied 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points while also leading all rookies with six power-play goals. In January 2019, Pinto was traded to theTri-City Storm in exchange for Michael Colella, a 2019 third-round Phase II draft pick, a 2020 second-round Phase II draft pick, and future considerations.[9] Pinto was named to the USHL all-rookie team in 2019 after leading all first-year players with 59 points in 59 games.[10]
Pinto committed to playing the2019–20 season with theNorth Dakota Fighting Hawks and was considered the top recruit for that year's incoming freshman class.[11]
During his first development camp with theOttawa Senators, Pinto impressed scouts with his play, and after completing hissophomore season with the Fighting Hawks, Pinto concluded his collegiate career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators on April 1, 2021.[12]
After undergoing the mandatory quarantining period,[12] Pinto made his NHL debut late in the2020–21 season and scored his first goal on May 5, 2021, against theMontreal Canadiens againstJake Allen.[13] He finished the season tallying one goal and six assists.[14] Pinto later participated in rookie camp a few months later in September, where he was appointed teamcaptain for one game.[15] Pinto missed nearly the entire2021–22 season due to injuries. During his fourth game of the year, he was hit into the boards byMario Ferraro of theSan Jose Sharks and left with a shoulder injury. He attempted to return nine games later against thePittsburgh Penguins but re-injured the same shoulder while taking afaceoff. He ended up having surgery and missed the rest of the year.[16]
Pinto recovered on time to start the2022–23 season and got off to a hot start. In October he was named the NHL's rookie of the month after scoring six goals in eight games.[17] He finished the season with 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games.[18]
As arestricted free agent, a contract dispute led Pinto to miss the entire 2023 training camp and the first weeks of the2023–24 season.[19] On October 26, 2023, the NHL suspended Pinto 41 games for violating the league's rules onsports gambling. Although the NHL indicated that no evidence was found on him of wagering on NHL games, the suspension (one of the longest in league history), was the result of a negotiation between Pinto, theNHL Players' Association, and the league, and was not the result of a formal disciplinary process; Pinto subsequently released a statement apologizing for his infraction.[20][21] Pinto had been under investigation since the early summer, after a NHL betting partner had flagged issues with Pinto's account details with the league, and Pinto had also been reported to have had connections with a third-party proxy bettor.[21] As a result of the suspension, Pinto was not allowed to return to the Senators' lineup until January 21, 2024.[22] On January 19, 2024 Pinto signed a one-year contract with the Senators.[23] He returned to the Senators lineup on January 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers and picked up his first point of the season in a 5–3 victory for Ottawa.[24]
Pinto was named to theUnited States men's national junior ice hockey team for the2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[25] Pinto enjoyed early success for the team, being named the player of the game for the opening game of the tournament againstCanada men's national junior ice hockey team after scoring two goals and getting an assist.[26]
Pinto is agolf aficionado who has played on theBethpage Black Course.[27] Growing up in New York, Pinto was a childhood fan of thePittsburgh Penguins, creditingSidney Crosby and the2009 Stanley Cup Finals as inspiration for his ice hockey career.[5][27]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 30 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Tri-City Storm | USHL | 26 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 33 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | University of North Dakota | NCHC | 28 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 82 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 41 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 140 | 30 | 40 | 70 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | United States | WJAC |  | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2020 | United States | WJC | 6th | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2024 | United States | WC | 5th | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 11 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | ||||
| Senior totals | 8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-NCHC First Team | 2020–21 | [28] |
| AHCAWest First Team All-American | 2020–21 | [29] |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | NCHC Rookie of the Year 2019–20 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Defensive Forward of the Year 2020–21 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Forward of the Year 2020–21 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCHC Player of the Year 2020–21 | Succeeded by |