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Trent Vogelhuber says the organization will push forward while not forgetting what happened. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Cleveland Monsters Playoff Notebook: Luca Pinelli’s Stellar Debut

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Mark Scheig | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 11:05 AM ET

The start of the playoffs at any level of hockey is always exciting. No matter what happened in the regular season, teams get a fresh start and a clean slate to work with.

The other beautiful part of the playoffs is it signifies the start of several amazing stories that will unfold over the next couple months. For the Cleveland Monsters, their first great story of these playoffs happened in Game 1. One of the Blue Jackets’ most intriguing prospects introduced himself to the playoff stage.

Luca Pinelli scored two goals including the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Monsters to a 4-3 win over the Toronto Marlies in Game 1 of their First Round, best-of-three series. Considering this was his debut in the AHL playoffs, it makes his performance stand out that much more. It was also his first game of any kind in two weeks as he was coming off an injury.

With the score 1-1 going to the third period, the Monsters came out and dominated the start of the period. It netted them two goals thanks to Guillaume Richard and then Pinelli. With the way the game was trending, it felt over.

Not so fast.

Madison Bowey took a roughing penalty to give the Marlies a glimmer of hope. They cashed in on the resulting power play to make it 3-2.

Then with goalie Dennis Hildeby pulled, the Marlies got a good bounce and tied the game. Suddenly, it was anyone’s game.

The Monsters didn’t panic however. They went into the room, collected themselves and ultimately got the job done in overtime thanks to Pinelli’s second of the game. He found a wide open net after Hildeby made a save and left a rebound.

The Monsters’ approach reinforced the way they’ve conducted themselves all season. Postgame, they said as much.

“I believe the most important thing in playoff hockey is being process oriented, not result, managing ups and downs,” coach Trent Vogelhuber said. “It’s amazing how many games you watch, sit back and watch the NHL playoffs, how much somebody scores and then somebody scores right after again because emotions are high. And when you manage your emotions and you don’t base what you’re doing off the result, you end up on the better side. We talked about it leading up in this week how important it is. It’s easy to talk about it. But putting it in practice is different and that was an opportunity.”

Pinelli adds more than just scoring to the Monsters’ lineup. He plays with an edge. He’s got a big fan in coach Vogelhuber.

“He has an elite shot which is the first thing that pops off,” Vogelhuber said of Pinelli. “But an undersized guy, he’ll go to the hard areas. And he’s got this kind of dog in him where he’s a competitor. And I love that as a coach. It’s that me versus you, I’m coming out on top that he has. Those are the guys you win with this time of year.”

Pinelli took his coach’s message to heart when it mattered most. He got rewarded for it.

“They (the Marlies) had a lot of energy, so I think we just had to stay calm,” Pinelli said. “I thought we did that well. It ended up working out.”

Pinelli’s season with OHL Ottawa ended without a trip to the playoffs allowing him this opportunity to join the Monsters in the Calder Cup Playoffs. He was by far the 67’s best player. Even despite the lack of talent around him, he scored 37 goals and 71 points while leading his team as the captain.

Pinelli’s time with the 67s helped him be ready for his Game 1 moment with the Monsters. “I thought they developed me great. I think having a pretty good year there and just carrying it on to here helped.”

Pinelli is an intriguing prospect for the Blue Jackets. He does two things really well. He can score goals. He’s also really feisty to play against. He’s had to play his entire career with a chip on his shoulder knowing he’s had to overcome being a smaller player. That hasn’t stopped him from making an impact.

Denton Mateychuk had glowing remarks about Pinelli postgame.

“Unreal,” Mateychuk said. “I mean, young kid coming in like that. It’s cool to see. He’s one of those guys you love to be around. He’s just a positive guy and he’s always got a smile on his face. He’s awesome to be around and he’s playing awesome.”

With the win, goaltender Jet Greaves improved to an astounding 15-0-0 all-time against the Marlies combined regular season and playoffs.

Pinelli and the Monsters now look to eliminate the Marlies from the AHL Playoffs in Game 2. Puck drop is Saturday at 4 P.M. eastern in Toronto.

If the Monsters win, they will advance to face the Laval Rocket in the next round. That means a date with former Blue Jackets’ head coach Pascal Vincent. The Marlies can force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday with a win. The game would be played in Toronto should that happen.