“Yeah, he’s a liar!”
Akil Thomas didn’t hold back when we asked about rookie Franky Pinelli this week.
To reverse a few steps and set the scene properly, just moments earlier, Pinelli – a first year pro in the AHL – was talking about some fun he and his teammates have been having recently.
With most players in the Kings organization living in the South Bay so they have easy access to the team’s training facility in El Segundo, getting out to the Inland Empire for Reign home games can make for rather long afternoons. However, Pinelli, Thomas, Brandt Clarke, and Martin Chromiak have found a way to make it all more enjoyable.
“We play pool at the hotel before games, it’s kind of a pregame ritual,” explained Thomas, “We play a little tournament before our pregame nap.”
Pinelli claimed he’s been getting the better of Thomas.
“I’m always giving it to him,” said the 20-year-old forward, suggesting he’s been outplaying one of the team’s leading goal scorers in those pool sessions.
When reminded that Thomas is good at just about everything he tries, so the story sounded at least a little suspect, Pinelli immediately doubled down.
Are you sure about this, Franky?
“Yeah, I’m positive,” he said, without even skipping a beat.
“No, Franky has come in last two times in a row now,” explained Thomas. “I’m sure he’s just upset about it.”
When you want the straight scoop, Thomas is always a great place to start because he doesn’t sugarcoat things. He’s also not afraid to give shine where it’s due and was quick to compliment some of the skills one of his other teammates has around a billiard table.
“He’s good!” Thomas added, when we asked if Clarke plays or just bends everybody’s ear the whole time. “Actually, he’s the first-seed right now, so we have to take him down soon.”
While Pinelli may not be the guy to trust when talking about pregame activities, the young Kings prospect has proven his mettle on the ice to Reign coach Marco Sturm.
“He’s been really good,” noted Ontario’s bench boss. “He had a stretch where he went from being the guy in the OHL to now, ‘Wait, fourth line, what’s going on here?’ So, he had to learn too. He’s another guy [along with Thomas] who accepted his role, and he knows exactly what it takes.”
It’s a situation that’s morphed over the course of the 2023-24 season. Pinelli started out as a winger, then moved to center, went back to the wing, and has now settled in at 4C for the Reign.
“Those guys, especially him, they’ve been giving us good minutes,” Sturm said of Pinelli and his fourth line teammates. “I don’t really have a problem sending him out and having him start in a d-zone faceoff or stuff like that. I’m really happy with the way he’s developed, especially the last few weeks.”
Originally selected by LA at the 2021 NHL Draft, the roots of how they acquired him can actually be traced back to Alec Martinez. Among the assets than came back in a package that sent the Kings 2014 Stanley Cup hero to Vegas was a second-round selection. However, by the time Draft Day came, the Kings wanted to move up and snag Pinelli, who they had rated pretty high up on their list. So, they made a deal to send ‘the Martinez second,’ along with their own fifth round pick, to the Senators so they could move up seven spots (from 49th to 42nd).
Pinelli was coming off winning gold with Team Canada at the U-18s, where he was joined by former Ontario Reign coach Mike Stothers. The following year, Pinelli confirmed the Kings interest, increasing his offensive output and taking on the captaincy in Kitchener; before really exploding one year later. During his third season in the Ontario Hockey League, Pinelli put up 41 goals and 90 points in 60 games.
We can’t confirm if Sturm is even aware of Plato’s quote about necessity being the mother of invention, yet it’s certainly applicable to some of his roster juggling over the past two months.
With guys like Alex Turcotte, Sammy Fagemo, and Andre Lee either injured or up with the Kings, Sturm has had to try out different line combinations in an effort to see what works best.
For Pinelli, having a more consistent role now seems to be paying off too. After producing just one point (an assist) in his first six games this season, and just one goal in his first 12 games, Pinelli has started to find a rhythm. Although it isn’t always about the points, he did recently score three goals in four games.
Best of all, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down, something teams monitor with first-year players during the second-half of their rookie campaign
“I feel good,” Pinelli said with a mix of confidence and poise. “Obviously, we play a lot of games, but [they] do a great job and getting us in shape and keeping us ready, so I feel good right now.”
He also appreciates the role Sturm has helped carve out for him.
“Sturmy is putting more trust into me,” added Pinelli. “And I’m playing better, so I’m just going to continue to work on my game … I try not to change my game too much, but I think the role we’re playing is more of an energy-type role. I think we have to create that for the team so we can be consistent throughout the full 60.”
Now isn’t the time to let up on the gas pedal either. The Reign are in the final month of the regular season and the Calder Cup Playoffs will be here in just a few short weeks.
“It’s fun, it makes it very interesting,” Pinelli said about being part of a tight Pacific Division race. “Every game matters at this point of the season, so it’s fun to play.”
Sturm says he likes Pinelli better at center right now. He may eventually move him back to wing, but that’s not on the horizon at the moment. Currently, it’s more about pushing his team to win games and securing home ice advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs.
Individually, Pinelli will probably also need to improve his pregame pool skills too.
RELATED CONTENT:
Follow @mayorNHL
Continue reading...
