The Pittsburgh Penguins dipped into the NCAA free agent pool on Friday when they signed Jake Livanavage, an in-demand defenseman out of the University of North Dakota.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a nice addition to their blue line on Friday, and it came right from the NCAA free agent pipeline.
Kyle Dubas and the Penguins signed 21-year-old blueliner Jake Livanavage to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins in the 2025-26 season and ends at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season. He will also report straight to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins have three regular season games remaining.
Livanavage will not be eligible to play for the Penguins in the 2025-26 playoffs - which they clinched with a win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday - since he was an unrestricted free agent who signed after the trade deadline and was not on the Penguins' reserve list.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound left left defenseman put together an impressive NCAA season for the University of North Dakota in 2025-26, amassing five goals and 25 points in 39 games to go along with a plus-15. His skating is his biggest strength, as he is excellent in transition and is able to create from it both from the offensive blue line and off the rush.
He helped lead North Dakota, as an alternate captain, to the Frozen Four in 2026, where his team fell to Wisconsin in the semifinal. His time in the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in 2020-21 also overlapped Penguins' head coach Dan Muse's time there, although Livanavage was part of the U-17 team that season, while Muse coached the U-18 team.
In three seasons with North Dakota, Livanavage registered 14 goals and 82 points in 117 NCAA games.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!