Robert Bortuzzo
| Robert Bortuzzo | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Bortuzzo with the Penguins in 2014. | |||
| Born |
March 18, 1989 Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Defense | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| NHL Draft |
78th overall, 2007 Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| Playing career | 2009–present | ||
Robert Bortuzzo (born March 18, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Bortuzzo was picked up by the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League in 2006 after leading the Fort William North Stars of the Superior International Junior Hockey League to a league championship, a Dudley Hewitt Cup, and an overtime away from playing in the 2006 Royal Bank Cup final.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Bortuzzo was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 3rd Round (78th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He played junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League for the Kitchener Rangers. In his three years with the Rangers he recorded 49 points and 152 penalty minutes in 138 games.[1]
Bortuzzo won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy in his second year as a member of the 2007–08 Kitchener Rangers.[2]
On November 5, 2011, Bortuzzo made his NHL debut. Called up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bortuzzo was inserted into the Pittsburgh line-up to fill-in for Ben Lovejoy who had broken his wrist the previous game.[3] Bortuzzo was injured during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 8, 2011 due to a hit from Zac Rinaldo. He was out for several weeks with a concussion, but was able to return to action in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton later that season.
The 2012–13 lockout-shortened season saw Bortuzzo's role continue to increase on the team, as he was used as a depth defensemen who played in 15 of the 48 games. On February 2, 2013, Bortuzzo scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins went on to defeat the Devils 5-1.[4] However, despite the Penguins' lengthy run to the Eastern Conference Finals, Bortuzzo was a healthy scratch throughout the playoffs.
In the 2013–14 season, Bortuzzo saw his playing time continue to increase, in part due to rampant injuries among the Penguins defensive core. He played in 54 of the 82 game regular season, recording 10 assists. On April 26, 2014, Bortuzzo played in his first career playoff game against the Columbus Blue Jackets after Brooks Orpik sustained an undisclosed upper body injury in the previous Game 4.[5] He played 13:36 ice time in the game with no goals or assists and was even on plus/minus. On May 5, 2014 Bortuzzo recorded his first playoff point.
St. Louis Blues
On March 2, 2015 Bortuzzo was traded by the Penguins to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Ian Cole.[6]
On October 9, 2017, Bortuzzo was fined $3,091.40 for a cross-check delivered to New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson.[7] During a preseason game before the 2018–19 season, Bortuzzo elbowed Washington Capitals defenseman Michal Kempný and was subsequently suspended for the rest of the preseason and one regular season game.[8]
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 276 | 12 | 30 | 42 | 304 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||||
References
- ↑ "Penguins sign Robert Bortuzzo and Nathan Moon". oursportscentral.com. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ↑ "Prospect Robert Bortuzzo". HockeysFuture.com. 2009-03-23. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ↑ Kunitz leads Pens to 3-2 shootout win over Kings - Notes - Boston.com
- ↑ "Penguins crush Devils, score 5 on Martin Brodeur". PittsburghSportingNews.com. 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2013-02-02.
- ↑ "Penguins back on track". timesonline.com. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2014-04-26.
- ↑ "Pens and Blues combine for another trade". NBC Sports. 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
- ↑ "Blues' Robert Bortuzzo fined for cross-checking Islanders' Nelson". Sportsnet. October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ↑ "Bortuzzo of Blues suspended one regular-season game, rest of preseason". NHL.com. September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database