Being a bottom-6 forward is personal for new Penguins center Noel Acciari
Share this post:
Brandon Tanev’s tenure lasted only two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Claimed in the 2021 expansion draft by the Seattle Kraken, Tanev became something of a cult hero in Western Pennsylvania despite only playing 100 regular-season games for the Penguins.
His frantic, energetic, all-gas, no-brakes style of play — to say nothing of an absurd headshot photograph that went viral — made him an instant favorite for most anyone in Pittsburgh.
So he knew he was speaking from a position of authority when he chatted with former Providence teammate Noel Acciari about potentially signing with the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent earlier this summer.
“He had told me I’m going to love it,” Acciari said during a video conference Tuesday. “‘And they’re going to love you,’ he said. He said that was a great fit for you guys (Acciari and family). As much as he wanted me to come play with him in Seattle and reunite with him there, he had said Pittsburgh has a special place in his heart. He said, ‘You’re going to love it, (coach Mike Sullivan) is going to love you, and everyone is just going to love you (with) the way you play.’”
To be clear, the 31-year-old Acciari isn’t a clone of Tanev. He isn’t as fast as Tanev. (Few are). And Tanev is a winger, while Acciari is a center, a position that generally isn’t expected to forecheck in the same furious fashion Tanev employed.
But they largely are cut from the same cloth as bottom-six forwards.
“I take it personal getting scored on,” said the right-handed Acciari. “For me, defense first. Obviously, everyone wants to score goals. I want to do that, too. But at the same time, you win games keeping pucks out of your net. I want to be good defensively first, then I think the offense will come from that. For me, it’s blocking shots, making hits, getting out of the zone quick and chipping in when you can at times.”
Joining the Penguins on July 1 by signing a three-year contract that carries a salary cap hit of $2 million, Acciari (pronounced a-CHAHR-ee) split the 2022-23 season between the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs. In 77 games, he had 23 points (14 goals, nine assists) while averaging 14 minutes, 19 seconds of ice time.
Beyond his base offensive figures, other numbers illustrated what Acciari can bring as a prototype of what a modern bottom-six forward should be.
Last season, Acciari — listed at a cigarette machine-like 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds — was 10th in the NHL with 244 hits.
Additionally, he was in the black at the faceoff dot, winning 53.8% of his draws (337 wins, 289 losses).
And on the penalty kill, he clocked 1:41 of short-handed ice time per game last season.
Current Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas previously acquired Acciari via trade Feb. 17 in his previous position as general manager of the Maple Leafs.
“I know what he brings,” Dubas said July 1. “He’s going to be extremely physical every night, able to kill penalties, able to chip in and score as well. But in terms of the toughness that he brings, I think it’s undisputed in the way that he plays in that he’ll put any part of his body on the line to block shots. He’ll be very welcomed here at even strength and on the penalty kill.”
Acciari’s road to the NHL was not congested.
A native of Rhode Island, Acciari is one of only 19 players the Ocean State has produced for the NHL, a league that has existed for 106 years. And undrafted out of Providence after helping that school win the NCAA championship in 2015, Acciari signed with the Boston Bruins, spending four seasons with that organization before stops with the Florida Panthers, Blues, Maple Leafs and Penguins.
That hardscrabble journey prompted Acciari to craft an approach that not only allowed him to reach the NHL but stay there for eight seasons to this point of his career.
“I had to — especially for my role — perfect that to make sure I crack the league and get a shot in the NHL,” Acciari said. “It’s not easy to do. For me, in that bottom-six role, I take it personal. Making sure I’m hard to play against, whether it’s blocking shots or making a hit.
“I kind of figured out my way to stay once I got there, and I ran with that.”