Robert Bortuzzo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robert Bortuzzo |
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Bortuzzo with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014
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| Born | March 18, 1989 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Utah Hockey Club Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues New York Islanders |
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| NHL Draft | 78th overall, 2007 Pittsburgh Penguins |
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| Playing career | 2009–present | ||
Robert Bortuzzo, born on March 18, 1989, is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He plays as a defenceman for the Utah Hockey Club in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Pittsburgh Penguins picked him 78th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Growing up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Robert played junior hockey. He won a championship with the Fort William North Stars. Later, he was drafted by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was then traded to the Kitchener Rangers. After three seasons with the Rangers, he started his professional career with the Penguins.
Bortuzzo played seven seasons with the Penguins organization. He was chosen for the 2011 AHL All-Star Game. On March 2, 2015, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues. In the 2018–19 season, Robert won the Stanley Cup with the Blues. He was the first player from the SIJHL to win the Cup. Bortuzzo has also played for the New York Islanders.
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Early Life and Junior Hockey
Robert Bortuzzo was born on March 18, 1989, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. His parents are Oscar and Susan. His father was also a hockey player. He was a goaltender drafted by the Kitchener Rangers in 1977. Robert's grandfather, Sergio, was involved in the community.
Growing up, Robert played both baseball and ice hockey. He helped his little league baseball team reach the Senior League World Series. In 2005, the Windsor Spitfires drafted him for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). However, he chose to finish the 2005–06 season with the Fort William North Stars. With them, he won a league championship.
Playing in the OHL
After his time with the North Stars, Bortuzzo joined the Kitchener Rangers in 2006. He scored his first OHL goal on November 2. Before the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, scouts saw him as a promising player. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted him 78th overall.
In 2007, Bortuzzo was invited to the Penguins' NHL camp. He was then sent back to the Rangers for the 2007–08 season. He helped the Rangers set a new record for points in a season. The Rangers won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy for having the best regular season record. Bortuzzo also helped the team get to the 2008 Memorial Cup. He had eight assists during the tournament.
Robert signed a three-year contract with the Penguins on May 27, 2009. He finished his junior career with 49 points in 138 games for the Rangers.
Professional Career
Pittsburgh Penguins Years
After training camp, Bortuzzo was sent to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. This team is the Penguins' minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored his first AHL goal on November 19, 2009. In his first season, he had 12 points and 109 penalty minutes.
In his second AHL season, Bortuzzo continued to play well. He had two goals and 16 assists in 45 games by January. He was chosen for the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic, where he scored two goals. He finished the season with 26 points in 79 games.
Robert made his NHL debut on November 4, 2011, with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played against the Los Angeles Kings. He was the first player from the SIJHL to play in an NHL game. On February 2, 2013, Bortuzzo scored his first NHL goal against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins won that game 5–1.
For the 2013–14 season, Bortuzzo made the Penguins' main roster. He played in 54 games and had ten assists. On April 26, 2014, he played in his first Stanley Cup playoffs game. This was against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
St. Louis Blues and Stanley Cup Win
On March 2, 2015, the Penguins traded Bortuzzo to the St. Louis Blues. He played his first game for the Blues on March 5, 2015. He finished the season with 2 points in 13 games for St. Louis. After the season, the Blues signed him to a two-year contract.
Bortuzzo made his playoff debut with the Blues in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. He helped the team reach the Western Conference Final. The Blues eventually lost to the San Jose Sharks.
On December 29, 2016, Bortuzzo signed a new two-year contract with the Blues. In the 2017–18 season, he set new personal bests. He scored four goals and had 13 points.
During the 2018–19 season, Bortuzzo helped the Blues turn their season around. By January 2019, the team was in last place. But they improved greatly and made it to the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Bortuzzo scored a key goal in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks. The Blues won that series and then faced the Boston Bruins in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.
Robert Bortuzzo and the Blues beat the Bruins in seven games. They won their first Stanley Cup in team history! Bortuzzo was the first player from the SIJHL to win the Stanley Cup. Even though he didn't play in the final game, he got to spend a day with the Cup to celebrate.
In the 2019–20 season, Bortuzzo continued to play well. He was suspended for four games for a cross-check against Viktor Arvidsson.
New York Islanders and Utah Hockey Club
On December 8, 2023, the Blues traded Bortuzzo to the New York Islanders. He played 23 games for the Islanders.
On August 31, 2024, Bortuzzo signed a one-year contract with the Utah Hockey Club.
Career Statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Fort William North Stars | SIJHL | 40 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 137 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 63 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 52 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 61 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 14 | ||
| 2008–09 | Kitchener Rangers | OHL | 23 | 1 | 16 | 17 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 75 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 109 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 79 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 111 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 51 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 61 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| 2012–13 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 31 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 54 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 74 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 38 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 40 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 52 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 38 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 59 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 47 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | ||
| 2019–20 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 42 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 40 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 47 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 73 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 36 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 43 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | New York Islanders | NHL | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| NHL totals | 560 | 20 | 54 | 74 | 511 | 60 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 60 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| AHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2011 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2019 | |
