Today we profile a player that presents a challenge to fit into this type of countdown. Philip Tomasino, with over 200 NHL career games played and nearing 100 points isn’t much of a prospect — and while he figures to make a contribution to the Penguins this season he also slipped down the depth chart at the end of last season and was allowed to test unrestricted free agency. It remains to be seen how long his future will be with the organization, but he is (for now) still under 25 years old and has something to offer to the team.

Catch up on the previous entries for this year:

#9: Philip Tomasino, LW/RW

2024 Ranking: N/AAge: 24 (July 29, 2001)Acquired Via: trade with Nashville (for 2027 fourth round pick)Height/Weight: 6-foot-0, 190 pounds

Tomasino has had an interesting career path. A first round pick in 2019 right before COVID, Tomasino was tearing up the OHL in 2019-20 (1oo points split between two teams in just 61 games) and then everything changed. Tomasino got to play a little in the AHL in his age-19 season and did remarkably well by producing 32 points in 29 games, which he followed by spending the entire 2021-22 season (his age-20 year) in the NHL.

It’s at this point that his progress flattened out and hit some bumps. 2021-22 and 2022-23 were virtually carbon copies of one another — and not in a positive way for a 21+22 year old. Tomasino split time between the NHL and AHL (31/38 game splits the first year and 41/22 the season) and performed about the same with very good production at the AHL but failing to really find a niche with Nashville. On the surface all was well with 20 points (7G+13A) in 41 games looking nice — but his ice-time had fallen to an average of 12:34 per game. He wasn’t scoring enough or seen as defensively strong enough to make progress with the Predators.

The writing was all but on the wall at this point for Tomasino’s Nashville career circling the drain. It was heightened when the team signed veteran free agents Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos in the summer of 2024 to further lessen the need and opportunity for a youngster like Tomasino. Sure enough, Tomasino’s role diminished even further to 11:18 per game and he only scored one point (an assist) in 11 games in a throwaway role with the Preds in 2024-25 that also saw him become a healthy scratch.

The Preds were left with either waiving Tomasino for nothing or finding a new spot for a minimal trade return. They chose the latter, picking up a fourth round pick all the way out in 2027 from Pittsburgh to re-home Tomasino and move on from the player their GM said had “a lot of question marks”.

Tomasino came to the Pens, and made a great first impression. He had scored three goals and added an assist within the first five games he was with Pittsburgh. Once the adrenaline wore off and the honeymoon was over, Tomasino came back to earth by only scoring two goals in his next 19 games after that initial burst. Goal scorers can be streaky like that, Tomasino battled through injury to add four goals (and two assists) in eight games in February and was making himself useful.

But then a bad final few weeks of the season. Ville Koivunen and Rutger McGroarty were called up from the AHL, and Tomasino found himself more marginalized in the lineup. Suddenly the opportunity to play with Evgeni Malkin or get power play time dried up on him. Then he suffered a concussion, though he was able to return and finish the season strong with 1G+2A in the final two games of the season.

The off-season was just as dramatical and tumultuous. The Penguins decided to pass on giving Tomasino a qualifying offer, to gain more leverage over his next contract. That also meant Tomasino gained the leverage of unrestricted free agency. There was a reunion to be found on July 1, with Pittsburgh signing Tomasino to a one-year contract for 2025-26 worth $1.75 million dollars that apparently all sides were fine with.

For Tomasino, it’s a wonder about what comes next. His contract and stats give him an inside track to be a part of the Penguins, but even with Pittsburgh he only averaged 13:27 per game. Tomasino made the most of it with some power play scoring and a 1.52 5v5 P/60 but is at risk of getting lost in the shuffle again. Koivunen and McGroarty only figure to be larger pieces of the puzzle. The team now has Anthony Mantha too in a similar spot that Tomasino fills as an offensive-minded support winger.

Tomasino is pointing towards being a restricted free agent again in 2025-26 — but since the Pens didn’t want to give him that status and leverage this year, it seems to reason they probably won’t next year either. Tomasino is still in a fairly precarious place in his career. He can produce points if given the opportunity, but he can also be inconsistent and quiet and play his way down a lineup just the same.

If he adds some consistency and can grow with the Pens, all parties will win and be happy. If he doesn’t, this will probably be his last season in the Pens’ organization and both sides will move on. Tomasino is still young (though he’s “old” for a “young hockey player”) but the clock is ticking. It’ll be a crucial year for him.

He will help the Pens, but the bigger question is how much of an opportunity will he get and how long can he grab ahold of making the most of it? So far that’s proven to be quite the challenge for him to carve out an NHL spot. The Penguins aren’t really counting on him to step up and become a mainstay for the long-term, but the door is open for him to be as big (or small) of a piece as he is capable of. Unlike many of the young, young players who usually comprise the T25U25, in this case we won’t have to wait long to see how it turns out.