While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 54 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Player: Thomas Di Pauli
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 26
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 188 pounds
2019-20 NHL statistics: Two games, zero points
2019-20 AHL statistics: 39 games, 17 points (eight goals, nine assists)
Contract: One-year, two-way contract with a salary cap hit of $700,000. Pending unrestricted free agent
Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, Aug. 19, 2016
This season: The Penguins staged something of a coup when they signed Di Pauli. The 100th overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Washington Capitals, Di Pauli opted to not sign with that organization after playing four years at Notre Dame and became a highly sought free agent when the Caps lost his signing rights.
A two-way center, Di Pauli’s explosive skating ability seemed bound to give him a legit shot at becoming an NHL-er. But injuries largely have derailed those ambitions.
In four AHL seasons, Di Pauli has only played in 147 of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 291 regular-season games over that time, primarily because of the various ailments that have plagued him.
After re-signing with the Penguins in April 2019, he seemingly pieced things together enough that he earned a pair of recalls in December and January when injuries ravaged the NHL lineup.
(Video courtesy Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins)
But Di Pauli seemingly underwhelmed Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, as he averaged only nine shifts and 5 minutes, 59 seconds of ice time during two games.
By the time the AHL season was halted in mid-March because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Di Pauli had been sidelined since Feb. 15 with an undisclosed injury.
The future: In the short term, Di Pauli, one of four Italian-born players in NHL history, remains a distant option to play in the NHL even if four or five other forwards are injured or unavailable. Should the NHL complete this season and potentially expand rosters given the unusual circumstances, Di Pauli would be a long shot to be part of that group. He has NHL-caliber speed.
Beyond this season, it’s difficult to see Di Pauli getting another contract offer from the team. If he has a future in the NHL, it won’t be in Pittsburgh.
