Jarred Tinordi is best known for his offensive prowess … wait no, it’s the other way around. Jarred Tinordi is known for his defensive prowess, which is why it’s pretty impressive when the rugged rearguard finds himself on the scoresheet producing points.
The Bulldogs have been on a roll as of late, winning 5 of their last 7 (the pessimist in me feels I should also mention they’ve lost two of their last three), and in that stretch Jarred Tinordi has stepped up and played a leadership role, contributing in multiple ways.
It’s for those reasons he’s this weeks Player of the Week. When Frederic St. Denis went down with injury, it seemed like a young Bulldogs defensive corps was losing their only legitimate veteran presence, Tinordi was able to step up and assert himself as a leader on this team and log some good minutes, and even finding himself contributing on the offensive side.
In Tinord’s last 4 games, he has recorded 1 goal, 2 assists and was a +1 rating. Which goes along with the intangibles he brings on the defensive end. At 6’6 he’s an imposing force along the boards but he’s not as slow as let’s say … Ryan O’Byrne. Tinordi moves well for a big man, and has solid positioning. It is still too early to bring him to the NHL level, but when he gets the opportunity, I doubt he will let it slip through his fingers. It took a little while for him to adapt to the professional game but he’s looking at home these days.
Frederic St. Denis should be back in the lineup Tuesday or Friday (according to him), this should benefit guys like Tinordi and Nathan Beaulieu who will no longer be relied upon so much on the blue line. Especially Beaulieu who, along with DeSantis, are the only real puck movers on the Bulldogs blue line without St. Denis.
An honorable mention goes out to the newest Bulldog, Dustin Tokarski, who started the last 4 straight games. In that span Tokarski has a .939 SV% and a 2-2-0 record. He seems to relish the opportunity to see more pucks than he has in Norfolk/Syracuse.
