Penguins signing North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage

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LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 09: Defenseman Jake Livanavage #4 of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks passes the puck during the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Semifinal game between Wisconsin Badgers and North Dakota Fighting Hawks on April 9, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The quest to get better never stops, the Penguins clinched a playoff berth today but are remaining active in trying to dig up diamonds in the rough. Reportedly, they will sign North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage now that his junior season is over.

As we await word on Michael Hage and #GoHabsGo, some #CawlidgeHockey fallout:

> Expecting free agent Jake Livanavage to sign with #LetsGoPens
> Abram Wiebe is turning pro and likely to burn the first year with #Flames
> #LGRW Dylan James is expected to join AHL Grand Rapids.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 10, 2026

The #Pens are expected to sign undrafted LHD Jake Livanavage (NCAA-Univ of North Dakota) per @frank_seravalli

21-yr-old had 5G-20A in 39GP this year

Interested to see if/when he joins AHL-#WBSPens, who have four home games left on their regular season schedule@InsideAHLHockey

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) April 10, 2026

For those wondering why I called Jake Livanavage a great skater…. https://t.co/a6OyMuXacr

— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) April 10, 2026

Livanavage was recently ranked 10th on the top college/European free agents by The Athletic:

Livanavage has been one of the better defensemen in college the last few years. He’s a highly mobile and intelligent player who can make skilled plays frequently and do so with pace. He’s quite small for an NHL defender, which is why he was undrafted, but he works hard and has been a solid college stopper.

Here’s his career history via hockeydb:

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The Grand Forks Herald wrote a little about him today too:

Livanavage, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound blue liner from Phoenix, came to UND as an undrafted free agent, but made major impacts on both ends of the ice.

He put up at least 25 points in all three seasons at UND and will finish his career with 14 goals and 82 points in 117 games. He earned All-American honors as a sophomore.

Livanavage also excelled on the defensive end.

He was UND’s most-used player this season, averaging over 24 minutes per game. He was a finalist for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s Offensive Defenseman of the Year and Defensive Defenseman of the Year. Livanavage earned first-team all-NCHC honors this season.

Livanavage played for the U.S. Collegiate Selects at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, in December. The Selects took second place.

Left defense is a spot the Penguins could use another prospect, looking at the Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25 there isn’t a lot there. Pittsburgh has former first round pick Owen Pickering still working in the minors and then a couple of other longshot or longterm prospects like Brady Peddle, Joona Vaisanen and Emil Pieniniemi and not too much else going on at the position within the organizational ranks right now as far as prospects go.

Livanavage lacks size but has been cited in a couple reports as being adequate in his own end at the college level, with good skating and puck moving ability. Add in some hockey IQ and his scouting report is tailor-made for a player that fits the mold of a Kyle Dubas/Wes Clark type of player. In a way Livanavage might profile towards being a Sam Girard type of player style-wise. He’ll get his chance to grow in the Pens’ organization and try to carve out a career in a way players like Ben Lovejoy, Conor Sheary and Zach Aston-Reese have done before him.

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