Jordan Tonelli Commits to the Engineers
The Ivy League transfer will lengthen the Middle 6 for RPI
Last month, RPI received a commitment from Brown graduate forward Jordan Tonelli, from Armonk, NY. Tonelli missed some time this year, but he has produced for the Bears over his time there and will be a welcomed addition to Troy this fall. He will bring a wealth of experience and a defensive edge that the team is in need of!
He hails from an impressive hockey family, most notably his father John, who won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the 80s. His uncle Ray Tonelli was an Engineer in the 70s, and his brother Zackary played for Brown with him for the past few seasons. It is exciting to bring in a player with the hockey genetics that Jordan possesses, and especially one with relatives that used to don the Cherry and White. Let’s take a look at Jordan’s game and where he fits into the picture!
Game Breakdown
I am a big fan of this pickup not just because Tonelli is a talented player, but because he fits this roster like a missing puzzle piece. Last year’s Engineers seriously lacked defensive tenacity from their forward group and an ability to possess the puck. For Brown last year, Tonelli was tied for 3rd in Corsi For %, 3rd in blocked shots per game, and 2nd in expected goals per game. To me, this signifies a player that competes hard in all three zones and will play a two-way game that the team needs.
It has been an interesting journey for Jordan through his time at Brown, which has certainly brought some highs and lows. Brown, like RPI, sat out the 2020-2021 season so he missed his entire freshman year, followed by a decent sophomore year. He exploded onto the scene in 22-23 with a near point-per-game season, which was good for second on the team. Remember that the Ivy teams do not play many games, and if you calculate his junior year production per game for RPI’s 37 games played last year, he would have scored almost 28 points. Last year, Tonelli missed the second half of the season with an injury which is why he logged just 16 games. It appears the last game he dressed for Brown came at the Houston Field House, which is ironic for obvious reasons. Tonelli was also the Bears captain, so leadership is another thing we can expect him to bring to Troy. Assuming Tonelli is operating with a clean bill of health, I think it is fair to expect roughly 15-22 points from Jordan and excellent defensive play.
Team Fit
Now that I walked through what we can expect in terms of offensive output, let’s take a look at where Tonelli fits into the roster. The first thing I would like to take a look at is his penalty killing, which seems to be a calling card. Brown was not a good team last year, but they did have a top-half penalty kill in the country, which operated around 81%. Their PK Time-On-Ice and Shifts leader? Jordan Tonelli. This bodes extremely well for the Engineers, who seemingly were never able to find the right crew of penalty killers last year. The reason for that was likely because there was not enough personnel on the roster that could do it at a high level, and this transfer seeks to change that. I see Jordan joining Brad McNeil, Sutter Muzzatti, and Jake Gagnon as the primary penalty kill forwards for this upcoming season.
As far as even strength goes, Tonelli gives the coaching staff some versatility because he can play Center and Left Wing. As of now, I could see a world where he slots in as the 3rd line Center, but they have John Beaton and are still a bit short at Left Wing. Therefore, I think he probably starts on Sutter Muzzatti’s wing in the top 6, with the ability to slide down to play Center if need be. Tonelli also led the Bears in PP shifts per game, so I would imagine there will be some Power Play time coming his way as well. Overall, Jordan fits the team needs very well because he brings experience and an ability to play in all situations. If he can deliver at the pace he did in his junior year, this will be an excellent pickup for the Engineers.
Congratulations to Jordan and his family! We can’t wait to see him in Troy!