Utah HC signs Stanley Cup champion free agent Robert Bortuzzo to a one-year contract

Only a few weeks before the start of training camp, Bortuzzo, 35, agreed to the terms of a one-year, two-way contract with the Utah Hockey Club.

The organization made the following post on X to announce the news:

The 6'4" defenseman was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 78th overall pick during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He played the first four seasons of his career with the same organization before being traded to the St. Louis Blues in the 2014-15 season.

He stayed with the Blues for several seasons and was a part of the team when they won the Stanley Cup in 2019. In the past season, he joined the New York Islanders for 23 games, in addition to their five playoff games. He has never been much of an offensive contributor, scoring only 74 points in 560 career games in the NHL. However, he shines with his defensive abilities, something that could greatly help Utah in the coming season.

With all the leadership that the Utah HC has added to their roster in the offseason, they could very well cause a surprise next season and perform at a much higher level than the Arizona Coyotes did in the past few years.

Source: Utah Hockey Club on X

Source for Robert Bortuzzo's statistics: Hockey DB