The Vegas Golden Knights caught one of the biggest fish in the free-agent market last offseason. They signed Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year, $61.6 million contract to bolster their back end.
After a below-average season by his standards, Pietrangelo is showing his worth with the Golden Knights, with three goals in his past three playoff games. This has been part of a long, successful career for the 31-year-old blueliner, who has seemingly flown under the radar for most of it.
Alex Pietrangelo Demonstrating His Ability in Vegas
Early Success
Pietrangelo was touted to be a bona fide defensive star from the get-go. In a stacked 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Pietrangelo was the third defenceman selected at just fourth overall, behind Drew Doughty and Zach Bogosian.
In his first two NHL seasons, Pietrangelo played 17 games, getting sent back to the OHL after making the St. Louis Blues out of training camp. Pietrangelo amassed 163 points in 180 games in four OHL seasons as a blueliner for the Mississauga/Niagara Ice Dogs and Barrie Colts.
Pietrangelo also represented Team Canada at the 2009 and 2010 World Junior Hockey Championship, picking up a gold and silver medal. He collected 15 points in 12 total tournament games.
Once he outgrew junior eligibility, Pietrangelo became an NHL regular.
Making a Name for Himself
After scoring just a couple of points in his short NHL stints, Pietrangelo burst onto the scene with the St. Louis Blues in 2010-11. At 22 years old, he became the team’s top-scoring defenseman, leading the assists (32). Playing in all but three regular-season games, Pietrangelo finished the season with 11 goals and 43 points.
The following year saw Pietrangelo selected to his first All-star game, finishing the season with 51 points in 81 games. He also saw his first playoff action that year, collecting five assists in eight games with the Blues.
Pietrangelo continued his offensive output in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season while the Blues gave him some reinforcements. The team traded for Jay Bouwmeester from the Calgary Flames at the deadline. The veteran defenceman was put alongside Pietrangelo to comprise one of the top defensive pairings in the league.
The duo was so effective, they were both selected to Team Canada’s Olympic roster in 2014. Pietrangelo played in all six games in a gold-medal-winning effort from the Canadians.
It’s His Team Now
In 2016, Blues captain David Backes signed with the Boston Bruins in free agency. Pietrangelo donned the ‘C’ as St. Louis’s 22nd captain in franchise history, wearing an ‘A’ since 2013.
After a second-round elimination in 2017 and missing the playoffs altogether in 2018, Pietrangelo led the Blues to the improbable.
You know the story: the Blues are dead-last in the league in January of 2019, scraping their way into the playoffs and going on a magical Stanley Cup-winning run. It was the first in Blues franchise history. Pietrangelo scored 19 points in 26 playoff games during the playoff run.
It also added to Pietrangelo’s personal trophy collection, joining his two World Junior medals, Olympic gold and a World Cup of Hockey championship.
By the Numbers
Despite a successful career thus far, Pietrangelo has little to show as far as individual accolades. He has never been a Norris Trophy finalist in his 13 NHL seasons. Pietrangelo finished fourth in the voting in both 2012 and 2020, and fifth in 2014. He has also been selected to just two all-star games in his career.
Since becoming a regular in 2010-11, just three other NHL players (Drew Doughty, Ryan Suter, Duncan Keith) have spent more time on the ice than Pietrangelo. His 24:48 per game average time-on-ice is good for seventh in the league during that time.
During all that time on the ice, Pietrangelo makes a difference. His 1,446 blocked shots over the past decade are also the seventh-most in the NHL. In the playoffs, Pietrangelo ranks third with 256.
Pietrangelo also boasts a career 52.8 Corsi rating in his career, meaning his team has the puck more often than not when he is on the ice.
The Next Chapter
Pietrangelo is turning into an X-factor during the Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup run. He scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 against the Colorado Avalanche which sent Vegas to the Stanley Cup semi-finals. In a Game 2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Pietrangelo contributed to both Golden Knights goals.
Pietrangelo has spent the most time on the ice of any player in the playoffs, blocking the third-most shots in the process.
If the Vegas Golden Knights are going to win their first Stanley Cup this year, Alex Pietrangelo’s big-game pedigree and overall prowess as a player will surely play a huge part.
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