Marino Acquired by Devils | RELEASE

The New Jersey Devils today acquired defenseman John Marino via trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Ty Smith and the club's third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.
"John is a competitive, highly mobile defenseman who strengthens our back end," Fitzgerald said. "He takes pride in his game away from the puck and his puck management and ability to transition play will fit in nicely with our style and the strengths of our forward group. This is another move focused on improving our club today, while also providing certainty and stability for roster flexibility as we continue to build."
Marino, 25, joins the Devils after spending the past three seasons in the NHL with Pittsburgh from 2019-20 to 2021-22. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound blueliner signed a six-year contract with an annual average value of $4.4 million on Jan. 3, 2021, which is set to expire after the 2026-27 season. The right-handed shot recorded 25 points (1G-24A), and earned career-highs with 24 assists, 23 PIM and two shorthanded points.
Additionally, his two shorthanded points ranked first for Pittsburgh defensemen and Marino's 190:56 shorthanded TOI led the Penguins. Overall, Marino's TOI/GP (20:38) ranked third on Pittsburgh behind fellow defensemen Brian Dumoulin (21:49) and Kris Letang (25:47). The Devils' newest acquisition has totaled 10 goals and 54 assists for 64 career points, 51 PIM and a plus-23. Marino has notched two assists in 17 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Born on May 21, 1997, the native of North Easton, MA, was Edmonton's sixth-round draft pick, 154th overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft. Before his professional experience, Marino played at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level for Harvard University of the ECAC from 2016-17 to 2018-19. He totaled seven goals and 35 assists for 42 career points in 101 regular-season contests. In 2017-18, Marino was a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman award and led Harvard with a plus-21.
New Jersey selected Smith, 22, in the first round, 17th overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft. He earned 43 career points (7G-36A) in 114 games with New Jersey over the past two seasons.