After taking a forward in the second round in Tristan Broz, the Penguins added to the organization's defensive depth in the fifth round with the selection of Isaac Belliveau with pick No. 154 overall.
Belliveau, 18, is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and a left-handed shot. He's an offensive defenseman.
Belliveau started last season playing for the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL, and recorded one goal and four assists in 16 games. He was moved to the Gatineau Olympiques midseason, and recorded four goals and eight assists in 21 games to finish the season.
In 2019-20, Belliveau led all Rimouski defensemen and was tied for No. 2 in league scoring with 11 goals and 42 assists in 62 games.
Belliveau is an agile, mobile skater with a high level of stickhandling ability. He has good vision and his passing ability is a strength of his, allowing him to quarterback his team's power play.
Penguins director of player personnel Chris Pryor said that a goal in this draft was to get bigger while not losing skill, and that Belliveau checks those boxes.
"Isaac can play both sides of the puck, sometimes he gets a little caught up and he's just got to tone it down a little bit," Pryor said. "But there's a lot there to like. He's a bigger kid. The parts of the game, some of these kids, that's just a natural progression of them learning as they get older and a maturity level as far as what they can and cannot do. That just comes with maturity and development. So he's got a lot going for him. A bigger kid, he's got a little edge to his game, he's got some puck game."
In February, Belliveau told Radar Hockey that he'd like to improve his speed and physical game.
45 seconds of Isaac Belliveau is all you need to see to be convinced! Standing at 6’0” and 180 lbs at 17, his physical maturity is impressing. His main strengths are his confidence, his quick decision-making and his first pass! @oceanicrimouski @LHJMQ #NHLDraft2021 @InStatHockey pic.twitter.com/Af0gYontSR
— Jean-Sébastien Lecomte (@JSLecomte) August 2, 2020
SCOUTS SAY
NHL Central Scouting ranked Belliveau the 75th overall North American skater.
Central Scouting: "Good size and awareness. Has good puck skills and can move the puck well."
The Draft Analyst: "He sees the play in advance, placing tape-to-tape passes to lead the team to easy zone breakouts. Once in the offensive zone, his teammates better have their sticks on the ice and be ready for a pass from the gifted blue-liner. He will freeze the goalie by faking a shot than throw no-look passes through the seam to the offside winger. Belliveau's overall game is solid. He does not possess a wow factor with his skating and dynamic plays. He simply plays within the team-oriented concept. Belliveau is sound defensively, not a risk-taker. He is one of those players who always seems to make the right play at the right time and makes up for below-average skating with proper anticipation and reads. He will log tons of ice time and be heavily counted on to lead the defensive unit."
FC Hockey: "Isaac Belliveau's superb offensive instincts makes him one of the most active and volatile defenseman from the Q, but his lack of puck control and balance refrains him from converting most of his support into serious scoring opportunities. If he can become a more sounded puck-handler and develop stronger edges, I would expect a significant rise in his offensive impact at the junior level."
Hockey Wiz Scouting: "Isaac Belliveau is an offensive-minded defenseman out of the Q; he had an excellent year last season playing alongside Alexis Lafreniere and was a big part of their power play. Belliveau was traded to the Gatineau Olympiques 16 games into the 2020-21 season, where he has registered 2 goals and 3 points in 7 games. Belliveau is a smooth skater and an excellent puck carrier that can run the power play very effectively. He is great at walking the blue line to create shooting and passing lanes. Isaac is an effective defender, that displays solid positioning and gap control Despite his offensive potential, Belliveau is far from a finished product; he has much room for improvement in many parts of his game. Belliveau needs to be more physical and be stronger on the defensive side of the puck. He is already an effective offensive defenseman, but he could become one of the best powerplay quarterbacks in the league if he were to improve upon his shot velocity. As of right now, Belliveau looks like he is going to be a 2nd round pick."
