Francesco Pinelli’s season so far and future outlook for LA

His role with the Ontario Reign has been different throughout the season. There have been times he’s the third or fourth line as a center. For special teams, he has played on the penalty kill but has had brief runs on the power play. Marco Sturm has praised Pinelli for his improvement this year and it’s not hard to see why with him getting time in most situations. He has played well on the penalty kill, improved his face-offs, and used his skill to score a beautiful goal shorthanded against the division-leading Calgary Wranglers.  He constantly improves his penalty kill play and defensive awareness game after game.

His offensive game made him a second-round pick in 2021, with 191 points in his OHL career with the Kitchener Rangers.  It has been a slower transition to point production in the AHL, but he’s producing well for being only in a bottom-six and penalty-kill role for the most part. I would like him to work on his offensive awareness as there have been times he’s had quality chances but has turned over the puck and passed up good chances when he has had quality looks. He could end the season with around 20-25 goals if he improves on that.

He has spent most of the season on a line with Taylor Ward and Martin Chromiak but has played with several different wingers early in the year, when Ward was injured in November, and is back with Shawn Element, Tyler Madden, and Jacob Doty on the fourth line as Marco Sturm has switched up most of the lines in the last two games. Whether it’s on a line with Chromiak, Doty, or Madden, he plays well with almost everyone the Reign plays in the bottom six, which is key for the depth of Ontario.