With the Pittsburgh Penguins entering the offseason for a third consecutive year without a playoff appearance, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until future seasons — with the organization.

Starting with Noel Acciari and going on through to Philip Tomasino (regrettably, there is no Z on the payroll), every player will be profiled in alphabetical order.

This series is scheduled to be published Mondays through Saturdays leading up until June 23, four days before the start of the NHL Draft. In the event of a transaction, that schedule will be altered as necessary.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Puckpedia.)

Isaac Belliveau

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 185 pounds

2024-25 AHL statistics: 22 games, seven points (one goal, six assists)

2024-25 ECHL regular season statistics: 25 games, 16 points (four goals, 12 assists)

2024-25 ECHL postseason statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)

Contract: In the second year of a three-year entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $875,000. Pending restricted free agent in 2026

(Belliveau does not require waivers for an assignment to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: Fifth-round draft pick (No. 155 overall), July 24, 2021

This season: In one aspect, Isaac Belliveau took a step forward in 2024-25 by playing in more American Hockey League games than the season prior when he skated in only two AHL contests.

At the same time, it probably wasn’t enough.

Cut from the NHL training camp fairly early on Sept. 27, Belliveau opened the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but did not get into the lineup until Oct. 30 due to an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for the first six games of the campaign.

Once he was healthy, he was thrown into the fire almost immediately as he lined up on the left side of the top pairing and he responded well by getting points in his first two games of the season, including his first career AHL goal in a 2-1 home win against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Nov. 2.

Belliveau remained a steady presence in the lineup through most of the next three months, though he moved down the lineup and did not generate much offense over that span.

By Jan. 25, he was assigned to Wheeling of the ECHL and aside from a single game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Feb. 16, he remained in West Virginia for the duration of the season.

Belliveau enjoyed an elevated role with Wheeling and largely operated as that team’s best — or at least, most prolific — defenseman. In his final 13 games of the regular season, Belliveau posted nine points (three goals, six assists).

Through Wheeling’s first three games of the postseason, he has yet to record a shot, let alone a point.

The future: To be certain, Belliveau did take a step forward this season. It was just a small one, however.

For an organization that is accelerating the development of so many prospects in the pipeline, Belliveau didn’t seem to get swept up in that momentum.

And considering how many injuries on the NHL and AHL rosters impacted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s blue line, it’s a bit curious as to why Belliveau saw relatively few opportunities at the AHL level this season, at least after the calendar flipped to 2025.

Moving forward, the Penguins have several younger defensive prospects who are on the verge of beginning their professional careers, potentially with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, such as Finn Harding, Daniel Laatsch, Emil Pienineimi and Chase Pietila.

There is only going to be more competition for playing time on the blue line.

Belliveau still offers plenty of intrigue. He skates well, moves the puck, has some offensive acumen and even offers a bit of snarl as a defender. But he needs to take another — much bigger — step forward to avoid getting left behind.

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