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John Marino seemed poised to return to Harvard for his senior season. The Edmonton Oilers certainly thought so, trading him to the Pittsburgh Penguins two weeks ago for a low draft pick rather than lose his rights for nothing.
Pittsburgh was able to change his mind. And Harvard’s loss should be Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s gain this fall.
The Penguins announced Thursday they had reached a two-year NHL contract with Marino, who will now turn pro instead of finishing out his college eligibility and becoming a free agent.
With the signing of the 22-year-old Massachusetts native, Pittsburgh will send a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft to the Oilers to complete the trade the teams made on July 26.
“Adding a young defenseman like John to our organization will be very helpful,” Pittsburgh general manager Jim Rutherford said through the team. “His development was accelerated last year and he became a top-10 defenseman in college hockey, giving himself a chance to play at the NHL level.”
Most scouting services and pundits haven’t rated Marino as highly as Rutherford did in his statement. But the 6-foot-1, 181-pounder can certainly help a Penguins prospect pool that has been drained over the years by trades that fueled Stanley Cup runs.
With Pittsburgh already projected to carry eight defensemen to open the season, Marino will most likely open the 2019-20 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he will look to earn a regular spot in the lineup.
Back in April, Marino had been named one of three co-captains for the Crimson, where he was expected to take on a much bigger role with the departure of All-America defenseman — and the team’s leading scorer — Adam Fox, who signed with the New York Rangers.
“It’s an honor to represent the team,” Marino told The Harvard Crimson student newspaper after receiving the honor. “I’m going to do the best I can to lead by example and do everything I can to help the team.”
In his first three seasons with the Crimson, Marino was a steady, stay-at-home defender, playing 101 games while recording 42 points (seven goals, 35 assists). He was a second-team All-Ivy League selection as a freshman who helped Harvard win the ECAC and reach the Frozen Four, two wins shy of a national championship.
Prior to college, Marino was a sixth-round pick (154th overall) of the Oilers in the 2015 draft who played a year in the USHL, where he helped Tri-City win a league championship.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton could use the help after losing All-Star defenseman Ethan Prow — the only blueliner in franchise history to lead the team in scoring in a season — to free agency. The Penguins brought back familiar face David Warsofsky to help replace some of that offensive production from the back end while re-signing fellow veterans Zach Trotman and Kevin Czuczman.
As for prospects, Marino will be joined by former first-round pick Pierre-Olivier Joseph, who will be making his pro debut after coming over from the Arizona Coyotes in the Phil Kessel trade. Niclas Almari arrives from Finland for his first season in North America.
Those six are under NHL contracts. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has signed four others to AHL deals who were in the organization at the end of last season — Matt Abt, Macoy Erkamps, Jon Lizotte and Blake Siebenaler.
Abt was the only regular in that group, appearing in 63 games. Erkamps played 24 games after coming over in a December trade while Siebenaler battled injuries after arriving in a February trade. Lizotte was a college free agent signing out of St. Cloud State who had joined the team on an amateur tryout deal last spring.