LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Early yesterday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins confirmed that Jake Livanavage had signed a two-year, entry-level contract to join the team.
The 21-year-old put pen to paper on a contract valued at $1.1 million AAV with a $975,000 cap hit for the Penguins (per Connor Long), becoming the first Fighting Hawk to leave after North Dakota’s NCAA Semifinal loss to Wisconsin on Thursday night.
The 5-foot-11 defenseman spent all three seasons of his collegiate career in Grand Forks, where he played nearly every game as a Fighting Hawk. Livanavage, a Phoenix, Ariz. native, featured on two Penrose Cup-winning teams during the 2023-24 and 2025-26 seasons.
Over the Christmas break, the former Hawk suited up for the U.S. Collegiate Selects in Davos, Switzerland, along with fellow UND d-man Abram Wiebe, who also signed his first NHL contract yesterday morning.
Livanavage, who wore the “A” for UND this season, recorded 25 points (5-20—25) in 39 appearances. On April 10, he was named an All-American for the second time, this time as a first-team All-American. With an average of 0.70 points per game, the former North Dakota man sits 17th in program history among UND defensemen in the metric.
Pittsburgh sits second in the Metropolitan Division with two games remaining in the regular season, well set for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, Livanavage will be unable to play in the postseason due to the Penguins not listing the defenseman — who was an undrafted free agent — on their reserve list for the playoffs (per @ARAnalytics/X).
Livanavage will become the 114th North Dakota alumnus to play in an NHL game upon his debut.
Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and on X @adillettgf.