Senators 2025-26 Player Preview: Shane Pinto

After a tumultuous 2023-24, the Ottawa Senators saw Shane Pinto play a full season, and the results were mixed. There’s no doubt that Pinto can be an invaluable part of the team’s core, but his off-ice struggles and drawn-out contract talks have limited his impact on the ice.

With 2025-26 a contract year for the young centre, Pinto has a great chance to break out and solidify the Senators’ middle-six, but questions will remain until he signs his extension, which could be an unnecessary distraction.

Pinto by the Numbers

Drafted: 32^nd Overall (Second Round) in 2019 by the Senators

Position: Centre (shoots right)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 201 pounds

Age/Birthdate: 24 years old (12/11/2000)

Country: United States

2024-25 Stats: 21 goals, 16 assists, 37 points in 70 games

Career Stats: 51 goals, 56 assists, 107 points in 210 games

How Pinto Got Here

Pinto was not a popular choice when he was selected 32nd overall in 2019. That draft featured several prominent fallers, namely Bobby Brink, Arthur Kaliyev, and Raphael Lavoie, all projected to be first-rounders. But, with Pinto heading to the University of North Dakota alongside 2018 Senators’ draft picks Jacob Bernard-Docker and Jonny Tychonick, optimism was high that their chemistry in college would lead to greater success in the NHL.

Despite his lower profile, Pinto’s time at UND was a rousing success. During his two seasons in the NCAA, he was the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Rookie of the Year, Best Forward, Best Defensive Forward, Player of the Year, a two-time NCHC Champion, named to the Western All-American Team, and a Hobey Baker Finalist. On top of that, he took home a gold medal at the 2020 World Juniors, where he was named one of the USA’s top three players after he and Kaliyev led the team with four goals apiece.

Expectations were high for Pinto when he signed his entry-level deal following UND’s loss in the NCAA Regional Final, and he did not disappoint, scoring a goal and putting up seven points in 12 games to close out the 2020-21 season.

Unfortunately, since his promising debut, Pinto has dealt with a significant injury that eliminated almost all of his rookie season, plus a controversial suspension for gambling, cutting his 2023-24 season in half. While he had 20 goals in 80 games in 2022-23, he hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to build up momentum and chemistry with his team, making it feel like we haven’t fully seen what he can bring to the Senators yet.

Pinto’s Role in 2025-26

Pinto will start the season behind Tim Stutzle and Dylan Cozens as the Senators’ third-line centre, and the hope is that, barring any injuries, he can bring stability to the bottom six. He’s become one of the team’s best penalty killers and defensive players while bringing plenty of scoring punch.

Last season, Pinto averaged 1:59 on the penalty kill and recorded a 2.6 relative Corsi for percentage, meaning that when he was on the ice with a man down, the Senators controlled the puck more than they didn’t. Only Noah Gregor had better possession metrics than him among forwards, yet Gregor averaged over a minute less on the ice and had a higher goals against per 60 minutes. No other forward was better at preventing scoring opportunities than Pinto. Just look at the playoffs; after 47 head-to-head minutes, the Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner line only scored three even-strength goals against Pinto, Ridly Greig, and Michael Amadio. The penalty kill is where Pinto thrives, and he’ll continue that in 2025-26.