PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins acted fast after the NCAA men’s ice hockey semifinal, where North Dakota lost to Wisconsin 2-1.
The next day, the Penguins signed NCAA free agent defenseman Jake Livanavage to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins immediately. General Manager Kyle Dubas says Livanavage will report to Pittsburgh.
Livanavage, 21, spent three seasons with North Dakota, playing in 117 games and 14 goals, 68 assists and 82 points. During the 2025-26 season, the alternate captain recorded five goals, 20 assists, 25 points and was plus-15 in 39 regular-season games.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound defenseman spent the last two seasons playing with Penguins prospect Mac Swanson.
Prior to his stint with North Dakota, Livanavage played U.S. Collegiate Selects with fellow Penguins prospect Zam Plante at the 2026 Spengler Cup, played three seasons in the USHL and spent one season with the U.S. National Team Development Program’s Under-17 Team.
Despite being a native of Phoenix, Arizona, this seems like a dream signing for Livanavage. The Penguins shared several childhood photos where he donned Penguins gear and posed for a photo with an unassuming Sidney Crosby.
It was always meant to be for Jake Livanavage 🐧 pic.twitter.com/epdFlFSxC6
— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
