The Penguins have signed 20-year-old defenseman Isaac Belliveau to a three-year, entry-level contract, it was announced on Wednesday by Ron Hextall. The contract kicks in at the beginning of next season and runs through 2025-26.
Belliveau, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, has 10 goals and 30 assists in 44 games for the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL this season. If his average of 0.91 points per game holds up, he’ll surpass his career-high point total of 53 set back in 2019-20 (62 games). He has 36 goals and 113 assists across 211 career QMJHL games.
A fifth-round draft pick of the Penguins in 2021, he has been one of the QMJHL’s best two-way defensemen, ranking considerably well in several offensive and defensive micro-stats.
According to the NHLe model of Byron Bader at HockeyProspecting.com, Belliveau has a 48% chance of playing 200+ games in the NHL based on similar development patterns from past defensemen.
It's tough to come to many conclusions from the environment, but Belliveau stood out during development and training camp in the sense that he's very steady. While not overly physical, his defensive game appeared to be rather reliable. He also seems to have a knack for making simple -- yet effective -- plays that lead to positive sequences.
