Shane Pinto

Shane Pinto (born November 12, 2000) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 32nd overall by the Senators, the first pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Early life Pinto was born November 12, 2000, in Franklin Square, New York. He grew up in an athletic household: his father Frank grew up playing baseball, while his mother Catherine and older sister Brianna both played softball. Pinto began ice skating at the age of seven and joined his first organized hockey team two years later, but he preferred baseball and American football to ice hockey. He did not decide to focus on hockey until the age of 14, when Pinto suffered a clavicle fracture during football practice that left him temporarily unable to play another sport. At the age of 12, he helped lead his Aviators team to a state championship. After two years at H. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School in Franklin Square, Pinto left for South Kent School in Connecticut to further his ice hockey career. In his final season there, he recorded 34 goals and 31 assists for 65 points in 54 games and was part of the 2018 USA Hockey National Championship team.

Playing career Junior After the 2016–17 season, Pinto was drafted in the 21st round, 330th overall, by the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Storm earned the second Anderson Cup in franchise history after setting a new record for wins and qualified for the playoffs. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they were eliminated by the Sioux Falls Stampede. In six playoff games, he tallied five goals and nine points. Pinto was named to the USHL all-rookie first team in 2019 after leading all first-year players with 59 points in 59 games.

Collegiate Pinto committed to playing the 2019–20 season with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and was considered the top recruit for that year's incoming freshman class. In his first season he recorded 16 goals and 28 points in 33 games. In the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, he marked 15 goals and 32 points in 28 games. They were eliminated by the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the regional round, in the longest game in tournament history, going to five overtime periods. After the season, Pinto was named the NCHC's first unanimous Player of the Year, also the first in the team's history. He was also named the NCHC's Forward of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year and to the All-Conference First All-Star Team.

Professional Pinto was selected by the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 32nd overall, of the 2019 NHL entry draft. During his first development camp with the Senators, Pinto impressed scouts with his play. Pinto concluded his collegiate career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators on April 1, 2021. After undergoing the mandatory quarantining period, He finished the season tallying one goal and six assists. Pinto missed nearly the entire 2021–22 season due to injuries. During his fourth game of the year, he was hit into the boards by Mario Ferraro of the San Jose Sharks and left with a shoulder injury. He attempted to return nine games later against the Pittsburgh Penguins but re-injured the same shoulder while taking a faceoff. He ended up having surgery and missed the rest of the year. He recorded one assist in five games that season. He finished the season with 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games.

As a restricted free agent, a contract dispute led Pinto to miss the entire 2023 training camp and the first weeks of the 2023–24 season. On October 26, 2023, the NHL suspended Pinto 41 games for violating the league's rules on sports gambling. Although the NHL indicated that no evidence was found on him of wagering on NHL games, the suspension (one of the longest in league history), was the result of a negotiation between Pinto, the NHL Players' Association, and the league, and was not the result of a formal disciplinary process; Pinto subsequently released a statement apologizing for his infraction. Pinto had been under investigation since the early summer, after an NHL betting partner had flagged issues with Pinto's account details with the league, and Pinto had also been reported to have had connections with a third-party proxy bettor. On January 19, 2024, Pinto signed a one-year contract with the Senators. He returned to the Senators lineup on January 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers and picked up his first point of the season in a 5–3 victory for Ottawa. He tallied a three-point game on February 10, scoring once and assisting on two others by Ridly Greig and Vladimir Tarasenko in a 5–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. On March 27, he marked a four-point game, scoring once and assisting on goals by Drake Batherson, Brady Tkachuk, and Jakob Chychrun in a 6–2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

In the 2024–25 season he mostly saw time on the team's third line alongside Michael Amadio and Greig, often matched against the opponent's top line. The line was often Ottawa's most consistent during the season and on December 21, 2024, he recorded a three-point game, scoring twice and assisting on another by Jake Sanderson in a 5–4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. In 70 games, he tallied 21 goals and 37 points. He scored his first NHL playoff goal in Game 4 on April 26, a shorthanded effort in a 4–3 victory. The Senators, however, were eliminated in six games in their best-of-seven series. In the six games, Pinto tallied one goal and two points. He opened the season with a three-point effort, scoring twice and assisting on Giroux's game-winning goal in a 5–4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 9. On November 13, he signed a four-year, $30 million extension with the Ottawa Senators. On March 7, he marked another three-point night, scoring once and assisting on goals by Amadio and Tyler Kleven in a 7–4 win over the Seattle Kraken. In 72 games, he scored 23 goals and 46 points. Pinto went scoreless in the four games. Pinto enjoyed early success for the team, being named the player of the game for the opening game of the tournament against Canada men's national junior ice hockey team after scoring two goals and getting an assist.

Pinto represented the United States at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded two goals and eight assists in eight games and helped Team USA win their first gold medal since 1933.

Personal life Pinto is a golf aficionado who has played on the Bethpage Black Course. Growing up in New York, Pinto was a childhood fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, crediting Sidney Crosby and the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals as inspiration for his ice hockey career. AHCA West First Team All-American 2020–21