Penguins Recall Jake Livanavage

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they have recalled defenseman Jake Livanavage from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, their AHL affiliate.

The 22-year-old Livanavage has been a pleasant, youthful addition to the Penguins organization in their defensive depth. So far with the Baby Pens, he’s scored eight points in nine AHL contests, currently sixth in the AHL among defenders in scoring. He is in the second year of a two-year, entry-level contract he signed last season, having played just a single game in the NHL, a 7-5 loss against the St. Louis Blues on April 14, 2026. He amassed 25 minutes in the game.

The reason for that one game? Livanavage was one of the NCAA’s most coveted free agents throughout his career at North Dakota and couldn’t sign an NHL contract while in college. Known as an undersized blueliner, his offensive awareness was noticeable; even when he didn’t have the puck, he made sure to find areas where he could be an option to score. Despite that, he went undrafted before transitioning to the NCAA, overlooked because of his 5’10”, 174-lb frame. Some scouts thought of him going as high as the third round when he was draft-eligible back in 2022; alas, no team took a chance on him.

He made the jump from the USHL’s Chicago Steel to the Fighting Hawks, where he’s emerged as one of the NCAA’s top blue-liners. He scored five goals for 25 points in 39 games with a career-best +15 rating this past year, highlighting as NoDak’s No. 1 defenseman, helping them make the Frozen Four, where they’d eventually fall to Wisconsin in the semifinal. Livanavage has received year-end All-Star consideration in the NCHC in every season of his collegiate career. The junior logged over 25 minutes per night for North Dakota this season en route to his second regular-season conference title.

A much-needed addition for a Pittsburgh team that has been injury-ridden to start its season. The Penguins have gained five points since mid-October and are second-to-last in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings with a 5-7-2 record through 14 contests with a -2 goal differential. Erik Karlsson and Declan Carlile are the only defensemen with multiple goals (3), and Samuel Girard is the lone other with a goal. If he carves out an NHL role, it’ll ideally be as a bottom-pair player with potential to slot as a power-play QB. All in all, the Pens could use a youthful boost from a player who has the mobility that Livanavage brings.