Jack St. Ivani’s offseason routine is no different from most NHLERs.
“Knowing what I like to do, it’s going into summer,” said the Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman. “Especially the strength of the legs. I need to control several injuries.”
However, there is a difference from what most professional hockey players do during the offseason.
He attacked the waves from his hometown shore in Manhattan Beach, California.
“We did a lot of surfing in the summer,” Saint Ivan Devani said. “Manhattan Beach is a great place for hockey players to train and have a great time. Thankfully, the coast isn’t too big. Watching the 1-2-foot waves. It’s great to have some longboards and sunset surfing with your friends. This definitely helps strengthen your shoulders and back.”
Given his roots are on the West Coast, surfing is what St. Ivani did throughout his life. It brings transferable benefits to his career as a hockey player.
“You’ll see some people there, they don’t look like the best shape, but they’re crushing up and down,” the 26-year-old said. “A lot of them are just a trick, just a knowledge of the ocean, where they are on the waves, how far they are on the board, involving a lot of balance, upper body strength. Whenever you paddle, the resistance training is great because it’s very easy on joints and muscles. It’s the same as weight training, where you can hit the weight, which is very smooth. Similar to swimming, similar.
“Very good for shoulders, back, core (muscles).
Even in the 2024-25 less than ideal 2024-25 season, St. Ivani became stronger, which led him to start his campaign with the third pairing of the Penguins and then work hard until the healthy scratch gave way to the almost permanent mission of the U.S. Hockey League.
Throughout December and January, an undisclosed injury left him for a month and a half. Once healthy, he formed a very stable defensive pairing with Owen Pickering of the AHL Penguins and completed the campaign at the station.
“In general, I feel that this is what I have learned the most about myself and the game,” Saint Ivanri said. “So, in that respect, it’s been a very positive season for me. Obviously, it’s a lot of mental ability to end the highs and lows of the team at the beginning of the year, rather than doing my best to be able to get the first game and get knocked out. But I feel like I’m back from the injury, I’m really recovering, I have a really good rebound, and I’m really good with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“I feel like I’ve developed my own game and by the end of the season, I’m playing some of the best hockey I’ve ever played and I’m really confident.”
St. Ivany admits he started his confidence at the beginning of the season.
“Hockey is a wrong game,” Saint Ivani said. “Errors have occurred. No one will play a perfect game. It’s really about how you respond from these errors and make sure you don’t keep doing the same thing.”
What a unfortunate St. Ivan Devani will avoid is comparing himself to another right-handed defender on the roster, including over 30 veterans with seven-figure salary cap hits like Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, Matt Dumba and Connor Clifton.
“There are a lot of good players in the room,” said St. Ivani, whose average annual value is $775,000. “But I’m not calculating numbers here. I’m just focusing on my own game. I really don’t need to go there and play something I’m not. I just want to stick to my game and do my best.
“I’ve proven that I can play at that level. When I play well, physically and close the game, that’s when I work the most. If I do, I know I’m in the NHL.”
Part of it comes from knowing how to ride the waves created in the NHL season.
“A lot of it is consistency and consistently putting your best game out there.” “You don’t always have A games, but you have to have a reliable B-Plus, B game. Because the players are so good, you can’t fall below that game. If you don’t follow these standards, you’ll be caught off guard.
“Confidence, it’s not overconfidence, but knowing that you can trust yourself there.”
notes: Goalkeeper Joel Blomqvist is “everyday” but the injury is not disclosed. …Forward Noel Acciari participated in Wednesday’s morning skateboarding in a contactless manner. He is still indefinitely due to core muscle damage. …Forward prospect Travis Hayes was sent back to Sault Ste. Mary of the Ontario Hockey League.
Seth Rorabaugh is a third-century journalist covering the Pittsburgh penguins. He is from North Huntington, who joined the tribe in 2019 and has covered penguins since 2007. He can be contacted at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
