NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Penguins defense prospect Isaac Belliveau is putting up the points in his last season of junior hockey in the QMJHL.
Belliveau, the Penguins' fifth-round pick in 2021, is scoring at a rate of .91 points per game this season with the Gatineau Olympiques, the highest rate of his career. With 10 goals and 30 assists in 44 games, he's on pace to set new career highs in both goals and points. He previously set his career-best 11 goals and 42 assists in 62 games, numbers bolstered by sharing a top power play with eventual No. 1 pick Alexis Lafreniere while playing for the Rimouski Oceanic.
Belliveau scored two goals and three assists in three games this week:
One of Belliveau's primary assists was this breakout pass to spring a teammate on a breakaway:
Belliveau's .91 points per game is the eighth-highest rate of scoring among QMJHL defensemen this season. Most of his 10 goals and 30 assists have come at even strength, with just two goals and nine assists coming on the power play.
The QMJHL is notoriously offense-first, and a near-point-per-game pace for a defenseman isn't that outstanding. But Belliveau is one of the top defensemen on both sides of the puck in the league this year.
The website Puck Preps tracks microstats at five-on-five for junior hockey, and Belliveau ranks in the 97th percentile for QMJHL defensemen in his offensive game and the 98th percentile in his defensive game, meaning he's better than 97% of defensemen offensively and better than 98% defensively. He's in the 75th percentile in winning puck battles, and 94th percentile in takeaways. He's playing a big role in driving play for the Olympiques, ranking in the 100th percentile in passes to set up zone entries, and 94th percentile in zone entries where he carries the puck himself. He's in the 94th percentile in passes to exit his own zone.
If there's a knock on Belliveau's game, it's that he isn't very physical despite having good size for his age at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. He's in the bottom-third of the league in terms of hits by defensemen.
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.Here's how the Penguins' other NHL-contracted players in the minors or draft picks elsewhere did this week:
FORWARDS
Corey Andonovski
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-1/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 44 games, 8 goals, 9 assists, 56 PIM
Andonovski returned from his upper-body injury and recorded one assist in three games on the left side of Wilkes-Barre's third line.
Raivis Ansons
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-1/190
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, fifth round
Age: 20
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 37 games, 1 goal, 2 assists, 27 PIM
Ansons was scoreless in two games centering Wilkes-Barre's fourth line.
Tristan Broz
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-0/178
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, second round
Age: 20
Team: Denver (NCAA)
Season totals: 34 games, 10 goals, 16 assists, 29 PIM
Broz was scoreless in two games on the left side of Denver's top line.
Drake Caggiula
Position: Center/wing
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 28
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 47 games, 12 goals, 25 assists, 34 PIM
Caggiula had one goal and two assists in three games on the left side of Wilkes-Barre's top line.
Judd Caulfield
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-4/212
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, fifth round
Age: 21
Team: North Dakota (NCAA)
Season totals: 33 games, 9 goals, 7 assists, 12 PIM
Caulfield was scoreless in two games on the right wing of North Dakota's second line.
Luke Devlin
Position: Center
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
Season totals: 43 games, 9 goals, 20 assists, 19 PIM
Devlin had two goals and three assists in three games centering the Warriors' second line:
Jordan Frasca
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-2/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 3 games, 14 PIM (AHL), 25 games, 2 goals 2 assists, 2 PIM (ECHL)
Frasca was scoreless in three games for Wheeling centering the top line.
Ty Glover
Position: Center/ left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 32 games, 2 goals, 2 assists, 7 PIM
Glover was scoreless in one game.
Jonathan Gruden
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-0/172
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 39 games, 12 goals, 6 assists, 37 PIM (AHL), 3 games (NHL)
Gruden didn't play this week with an upper-body injury. There's no timetable for his return.
Filip Hallander
Position: Center/left wing
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2018, second round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 36 games, 9 goals, 22 assists, 18 PIM (AHL), 2 games (NHL)
Hallander had two assists in three games on the left side of the second line.
Nathan Legare
Position: Right wing
Size: 6-0/205
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, third round
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 49 games, 6 goals, 7 assists, 29 PIM
Legare had one goal in three games on the right side of the third line:
Alex Nylander
Position: Wing
Size: 6-1/192
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 51 games, 23 goals, 23 assists, 8 PIM
Nylander had two goals and an assist in three games on the right side of the top line:
Nylander now has points in 10 of his last 12 games, putting up six goals and eight assists in that span.
Zam Plante
Position: Center
Size: 5-9/161
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, fifth round
Age: 18
Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
Season totals: 33 games, 8 goals, 15 assists, 2 PIM
Plante picked up one assist in two games.
Sam Poulin
Position: Center/wing
Size: 6-2/214
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2019, first round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 13 games, 4 goals, 6 PIM (AHL), 3 games, 1 assist, 2 PIM (NHL)
Poulin remains away from the team on personal leave after leaving on Dec. 7.
He wrote this message on Instagram back in January: "Not being OK is more than OK. Opening yourself up about what's going on might be one of the hardest things to do, but ultimately, one of the best things you can do for yourself. Let’s normalize this stigma & spread more love to the people around us, because there's more people than we think who struggle mentally every single day. If you are struggling, know you are not alone."
Valtteri Puustinen
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/183
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 52 games, 21 goals, 24 assists, 20 PIM
Puustinen scored one goal and four assists in three games on the right side of Wilkes-Barre's second line:
Lukas Svejkovsky
Position: Wing
Size: 5-9/170
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2020, fourth round
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 36 games, 2 goals, 8 assists, 6 PIM
Svejkovsky had one assist in three games centering Wilkes-Barre's third line.
Kirill Tankov
Position: Center
Size: 6-1/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 20
Team: SKA-Neva (VHL)
Season totals: 1 game
Tankov suffered a season-ending neck injury in the opening game of the season and required surgery to repair a fractured vertebrae. He is expected to be able to play next season and has resumed skating.
Chase Yoder
Position: Center
Size: 5-10/176
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020, sixth round
Age: 20
Team: Providence (NCAA)
Season totals: 32 games, 7 goals, 7 assists, 14 PIM
Providence College didn't play this week.
DEFENSEMEN
Santeri Airola
Size: 5-11, 163
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2019, seventh round
Age: 22
Team: Ilves/SaiPa (Liiga), KOOVEE (Mestis)
Season totals: 10 games, 5 assists, 2 PIM (Liiga), 29 games, 8 goals, 14 assists, 22 PIM (Mestis)
Airola, playing in his second week with his new team SaiPa in the top Finnish league since the trade, had four assists in three games.
Isaac Belliveau
Size: 6-2/185
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, fifth round
Age: 19
Team: Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Season totals: 44 games, 10 goals, 30 assists, 36 PIM
Belliveau had two goals and three assists in three games on Gatineau's second defense pairing.
Nolan Collins
Size: 6-3/194
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2022, sixth round
Age: 18
Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
Season totals: 51 games, 6 goals, 15 assists, 44 PIM
Collins had one assist in four games on Sudbury's top defense pairing. This was the assist:
Taylor Fedun
Size: 6-1/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 34
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 45 games, 1 goal, 4 assists, 16 PIM
Fedun was scoreless in three games on the left side of Wilkes-Barre's top defense pairing.
Daniel Laatsch
Size: 6-5/183
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 21
Team: Wisconsin (NCAA)
Season totals: 34 games, 1 goal, 6 assists, 4 PIM
Laatsch was scoreless in two games on the left side of Wisconsin's second defense pairing.
Josh Maniscalco
Size: 6-2/205
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 15 games, 1 assist, 7 PIM (AHL), 31 games, 8 goals, 20 assists, 42 PIM (ECHL)
Maniscalco was scoreless in three games in Wilkes-Barre on the left side of Wilkes-Barre's third defense pairing.
Ryan McCleary
Size: 6-2/180
Shoots: Right
Drafted: 2021, seventh round
Age: 19
Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season totals: 54 games, 11 goals, 15 assists, 34 PIM
McCleary was scoreless in four games on the right side of Portland's top defense pairing. He got into his third career fight (and second of the season) in one of the games.
Xavier Ouellet
Size: 6-0/196
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 29
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 29 games, 2 goals, 15 assists, 21 PIM
Ouellet suffered an ankle injury on Dec. 31. He underwent successful surgery last week and is done for the rest of the year. He's still signed to a two-way NHL contract through next season.
Owen Pickering
Size: 6-4/180
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2022, first round
Age: 19
Team: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Season totals: 49 games, 8 goals, 25 assists, 20 PIM
Pickering had one goal and one assist in four games on Swift Current's top pairing:
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Ty Smith
Size: 5-11/179
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Acquired via trade
Age: 22
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 30 games, 4 goals, 11 assists, 10 PIM (AHL), 9 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 PIM (NHL)
Smith didn't play this week, sidelined with an injury after taking a puck to the face last week. There's no timetable for his return.
Jack St. Ivany
Size: 6-3/201
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 44 games, 5 assists, 22 PIM
St. Ivany was scoreless three games this week on the right side of Wilkes-Barre's second defense pairing.
Colin Swoyer
Size: 6-0/185
Shoots: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 24
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 24 games, 1 goal, 6 assists, 5 PIM (AHL), 6 games, 1 assist, 4 PIM (ECHL)
Swoyer recorded one assist in two games on the right side of Wilkes-Barre's third defense pairing
GOALTENDERS
Joel Blomqvist
Size: 6-2/183
Catches: Left
Drafted: 2020, second round
Age: 21
Team: Karpat (Liiga)
Season totals: 21 games, 2.29 GAA, .907 SV%
Blomqvist has been injured since Dec. 16 after an in-game collision that included contact to the head. His team hasn't disclosed what the injury is, but if it is a concussion, it's his second one of the season after he previously had one in October from another collision in a game.
Taylor Gauthier
Size: 6-2/207
Catches: Right
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 21
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Season totals: 14 games, 2.42 GAA, .918 SV% (AHL), 16 games, 3.09 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 shutout (ECHL)
Gauthier started one game this week, making 20 saves on 22 shots in an overtime loss.
Filip Lindberg
Size: 6-1/194
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 23
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL)
Season totals: 19 games, 3.13 GAA, .896 SV%
Lindberg has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since Feb. 11. He's considered day-to-day.
Sergei Murashov
Size: 6-0/167
Catches: Right
Drafted: 2022, fourth round
Age: 18
Team: Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), Lokomotiv (KHL)
Season totals: 42 games, 1.53 GAA, .948 SV%, 11 shutouts (MHL), 1 game, 1.00 GAA, .947 SV% (KHL)
Murashov started in two games this week in the MHL. He made 29 saves on 32 shots in his first game, then 22 saves on 25 shots three nights later. It was only the third time this season that he's conceded at least three goals in consecutive games.
Dustin Tokarski
Size: 6-0/198
Catches: Left
Drafted: Free agent signing
Age: 33
Team: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL)
Season totals: 23 games, 2.38 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 shutout (AHL), 4 games, 3.44 GAA, ,897 SV% (NHL)
Tokarski started in two games for Wilkes-Barre after being re-assigned last week. He made 34 saves on 37 shots in a win, then 27 saves on 30 shots in a loss two nights later.