Jake Livanavage (born May 6, 2004) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He played collegiate ice hockey for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Jake Livanavage
Livanavage with North Dakota in 2026
Born (2004-05-06) May 6, 2004 (age 22)
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2026present

Playing career

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Junior

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Livanavage began his hockey career with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he recorded ten goals and 80 assists in 152 games over three seasons. He helped the Steel win the Clark Cup in 2021.[1]

College

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Livanavage began his college ice hockey at North Dakota during the 2023–24 season. In his freshman season, he recorded five goals and 24 assists in 40 games. His 29 points were the fourth-most by a rookie defenceman in program history. Following the season he was named to the All-NCHC Rookie Team.[1]

During the 2024–25 season, in his sophomore season, he recorded four goals and 24 assists in 38 games. He averaged 24 minutes, 54 seconds of ice time per game, which led the team. Following the season he was named an AHCA West Second Team All-American.[2][3]

On March 29, 2025, he announced he would return to North Dakota for his junior season in 2025–26.[4]

Professional

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Livanavage signed a two-year, entry level contract running through the 2026–27 NHL season with the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 10, 2026.[5] Four days later, he made his NHL debut in the Penguins' final regular season game, a 7–5 loss to the St. Louis Blues in which he led all players in ice time and ran Pittsburgh's first power play unit.[6]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2020–21 Chicago Steel USHL 43 1 8 9 43 7 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Chicago Steel USHL 61 3 42 45 40 3 0 3 3 0
2022–23 Chicago Steel USHL 48 6 30 36 65 6 0 3 3 4
2023–24 University of North Dakota NCHC 40 5 24 29 6
2024–25 University of North Dakota NCHC 38 4 24 28 12
2025–26 University of North Dakota NCHC 39 5 20 25 10
2025–26 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 1 0 0 0 0
NCAA totals 117 14 68 82 28

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Jake Livanavage". fightinghawks.com. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  2. "Jake Livanavage named AHCA/CCM All-America Second Team". fightinghawks.com. April 11, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  3. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (April 11, 2025). "UND defenseman Jake Livanavage named All-American". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  4. Schlossman, Brad Elliott (March 29, 2025). "Jake Livanavage says he's returning for junior season". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  5. "Penguins Sign Defenseman Jake Livanavage to a Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract | Pittsburgh Penguins". www.nhl.com. April 10, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  6. Schlossman, Brad (April 15, 2026). "Jake Livanavage plays big role in NHL debut for Pittsburgh". Grand Forks Herald. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
  7. Weisman, Michael (March 12, 2024). "NCHC Reveals 2023-24 All-Rookie Team". nchchockey. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  8. Weisman, Michael (March 10, 2026). "NCHC Unveils 2025-26 All-Conference Teams". nchchockey.com. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  9. "Boston College leads way with four 2024-25 All-Americans". USCHO.com. April 11, 2025. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
  10. "AHCA names 24 All-Americans". USCHO.com. April 10, 2026. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
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