Robert Bortuzzo is on the move.
The Thunder Bay blueliner was dealt during the National Hockey League trade deadline frenzy on Monday, being shipped to the St. Louis Blues from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I was a little shocked. It kind of came out of nowhere,” Bortuzzo said when reached by telephone following the trade which sent him, along with a seventh round draft pick in 2016, to St. Louis for defenceman Ian Cole.
The 25-year-old Bortuzzo had spent his entire NHL career in Pittsburgh after being a third round pick of the Penguins in 2007 appearing in 113 career regular season games with the Penguins, scoring four goals.
Bortuzzo, who notched six points in 38 games so far this campaign, will join a Blues squad that currently sits third in the Western Conference and has their sights set on a strong postseason push.
“I appreciate everything Pittsburgh has done for me but I’m obviously excited for the opportunity to go to a contending team and play good, hard hockey with St. Louis,” he said.
“I think my style of game will fit in with what they’re trying to do with that Western Conference hockey.”
He was not the only rearguard acquired by St. Louis on deadline day. The Blues also pulled the trigger on a deal that brings former Penguins teammate Zbynek Michalek to the Gateway city.
They join a defence group, including All-Stars Alex Pietrangelo, Jay Bouwmeester and Kevin Shattenkirk, that forms a strength of the team.
Bortuzzo, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, just wants to contribute.
"I just want to play hard hockey and get pucks out of our zone and move them up to a hard working forward group that can create offence," he said. "I'll be willing to do anything the team asks of me. I want to be solid defensively and if they ask me to kill penalties I can do that too."
Bortuzzo is one of two former Superior International Junior Hockey League players currently in the NHL.
He joins forward Chris Porter as Blues teammates with Thunder Bay ties.
