Prospects Challenge: Belliveau a standout on defense in tournament

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The increased effort in minor-league depth over the last year forced a number of Penguins prospects on NHL contracts to end up in the ECHL with the Wheeling Nailers. And near the end of the season, one member of the organization told me that there were two future NHL players down there -- the ECHL's top goaltender Taylor Gauthier, and defenseman Isaac Belliveau.

Belliveau, the Penguins' fifth-round pick in 2021, made his professional debut last season. And with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton both deep and largely healthy on defense for much of the year, Belliveau ended up spending all but two games in Wheeling in his rookie year. He'll look to take that next step and earn a significant role in Wilkes-Barre in his second professional season, and he's already off to a pretty good start when it comes to setting himself up to do that.

Belliveau is one of eight defensemen who the Penguins brought here in Buffalo, N.Y. for the annual Prospects Challenge tournament, and through the first two games he's been one of the more noticeable for good reasons.

Belliveau, 21, has skated on the left side of the Penguins' second pairing in each of the games, paired with 2024 seventh-round pick Finn Harding. He has a point in each game, picking up a goal and an assist. He assisted on Tristan Broz's one-timer that was the tying goal in Game 1's 6-3 comeback win over the Bruins on Friday:

"Really, just a great play by Belly," Broz said of the goal. "I kind of just popped out to the side and he made a nice cross-seam pass to me."

Belliveau's goal was the Penguins' second in a 4-2 win over the Senators on Saturday, burying a shot from the slot set up by Rutger McGroarty and Harding:

"Rutger saw me at the blue line and just gave it to me," Belliveau told me after Saturday's game. "I did a little fake move, and then I just shot it on net and it went in."

The points are nice, and not unsurprising. He's always had that in him. This is a guy who was quarterbacking his junior team, the Rimouski Oceanic, in his rookie QMJHL season, and led his team's defensemen in scoring in his final junior season, racking up 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) in 55 games. He had no trouble picking up where he left off once he turned pro, amassing 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 70 games with Wheeling last season.

It's Belliveau's play defending his own net that has been the biggest positive from him this tournament, though. He's got pretty good size -- 6 foot 2, 188 pounds -- and he makes use of it. He's very good at boxing out opponents and clearing his crease. Nailers coach Derek Army raved about Belliveau's "mean streak" last season, and one can see that in the way Belliveau gives extra whacks and cross-checks to the backs of opponents, or otherwise gets under their skin. Belliveau said he worked on his defensive zone play a lot over the summer, and pointed to Wilkes-Barre defense coach Sheldon Brookbank as being a big help in that regard.

With Belliveau having that edge to his game and toeing that line, him racking up the penalty minutes can be an expected consequence. He's taken three minor penalties in these last two games -- two interference penalties and one trip, the latter being an iffy call given that he himself tripped and inadvertently took out an opponent -- and he said that the coaching staff here hasn't said anything to him about needing to be better about the penalties.

"I mean, I play hard," Belliveau said with a grin about the calls.

MICHELLE CRECHIOLO / PENGUINS

Isaac Belliveau in the Penguins' win over the Senators in the Prospects Challenge on Sunday in Buffalo, N.Y.

Wilkes-Barre looks to be pretty deep on the blue line this season, with Belliveau, Owen Pickering, Mac Hollowell, Filip Kral, Nathan Clurman all on NHL deals and likely to start in the minors, along with two to three of John Ludvig, Ryan Shea, Jack St. Ivany and Sebastian Aho. Barring moves or losses of any players to waivers, that's around seven or eight players looking for six spots on Wilkes-Barre's blue line, not to mention some decent AHL-contracted hopefuls in prospects Scooter Brickey and Mats Lindgren and veteran Dan Renouf. Belliveau's not going to just be handed a regular AHL role if he doesn't earn it.

"There's a lot of defensemen in the organization," he said. "I just need to play my game. ... Just try to play hard and be good defensively and just be hard to play against."

The good news for Belliveau is that Wilkes-Barre's new bench boss, Kirk MacDonald, has already been impressed with what he's seen from Belliveau as MacDonald coaches the Penguins' prospects in the tournament.

"He's been good," MacDonald said. "Some of the guys, you can tell have played pro before. His reads have been really good. He's done a good job of breaking pucks out. We showed some clips (of Game 1) this morning of connecting on the breakouts, and he had a Grade-A scoring chance in the second period. But it was actually his play on the breakout that led to it, and then he was able to activate and get up the ice. It was a similar play (Saturday) that led to the goal he scored. He's been great. He's working hard. I've been really impressed by his game."

Belliveau remains pretty raw as a prospect, as does pretty much everyone in this tournament. That's why they're here, to develop. Belliveau could stand to improve his decision-making at times with and without the puck, but so do most players his age. But the tools he does have -- his physicality and the edge he plays with -- make him one of the more intriguing defense prospects in the Penguins' system.