St. Louis • Robert Bortuzzo stepped onto the ice for morning skate and looked up at the rafters.
The Utah Hockey Club defenseman took in the banners Thursday at Enterprise Center, specifically the one honoring the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning St. Louis Blues. Bortuzzo was on that team and spent 10 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Blues.
“Pretty special walking in here,” Bortuzzo said. “A lot of good memories. At the end of the day, it’s just teammates, buddies you’ve created lifelong friendships with. Got to do it with them. That’s pretty much the most special thing.”
Bortuzzo was 25 years old when he entered the Blues system. While he started as a young blueliner with much room to grow, he transitioned into a confident, steady player that the team could rely on. He also learned from the veterans around him like Jay Bouwmeester.
In Utah, Bortuzzo is now embracing that same veteran role. He is able to lead with his experience and be a resource to the Hockey Club players who are still adjusting to the NHL level.
“Our young guys are awesome. I remember when I was in that position. It was super exciting just going out for dinner with older guys and hanging with them,” Bortuzzo said. “There’s always that youthful energy — I’ve always found that to be important for a locker room. It was fun to be a part of that in St. Louis.”
That balance of new talent and battle-tested leaders is one Bortuzzo said was integral to the Blues’ championship run in 2019 which ended in them hoisting the Cup. Bortuzzo had two goals through 17 games that postseason, but made his biggest impact by sacrificing his body, blocking shots, throwing hits and playing into his game as a strong stay-at-home defenseman.
St. Louis Blues from left Brayden Schenn, Jordan Binnington, Joel Edmundson, Robert Bortuzzo and Vladimir Tarasenko, of Russia, right, celebrate with the Stanley Cup in the locker room after defeating the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final, Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Boston. (Dave Sandford/Pool via AP)
It is those attributes that earned Bortuzzo a one-year, two-way contract with Utah in August.
Hockey Club general manager Bill Armstrong spent 16 years with the St. Louis organization as first an amateur scout, then director of amateur scouting before becoming assistant general manager. Armstrong — from up-close experience — knew what Bortuzzo could bring to a team on and off the ice.
Thus far, it seems like he has delivered.
“He’s unbelievable. He’s a straight pro. The success he had in his career as a teammate and what he accomplished helps our team a lot,” head coach André Tourigny said. “It’s not always shown on the highlight, but shown in the room, shown in the shift in mentality we have to have as a young team.”
Bortuzzo has skated in six of Utah’s 14 games this season. He was a healthy scratch in the Hockey Club’s 4-2.Thursday night at Enterprise Center. He received a standing ovation from the crowd when the team recognized him on the jumbotron during the game.
While Bortuzzo is not playing on a nightly basis, it has aided the team — and its injured blueline — to have a calming figure like Bortuzzo on its side.
“I like the way he leads by voice. He’s not loud. … He picks his spot, talks at the right time, says the right thing. He doesn’t talk a lot, but it carries a lot of weight when he does,” Tourigny said.
(Melissa Majchrzak | AP) Utah Hockey Club defensemen Robert Bortuzzo (41) in action on during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at an NHL hockey game, Tuesday Oct 22, 2024, in Salt Lake City.
Utah is in the fourth year of its rebuild and, realistically, quite a ways away from Stanley Cup aspirations. Bortuzzo was in that position with the Blues when he first arrived. One thing stood out to him which pushed the team to eventually turn a corner.
“It’s just continually about getting better,” Bortuzzo said. “I spent 10 years in St. Louis, the first four we were kind of knocking at the door. Whether we lost in the first round or conference finals, we were always kind of getting better and progressing.”
After skating with 11 forwards and seven defensemen for three games, Utah returned to 12 forwards and six defensemen against the Blues. Bortuzzo was sidelined as a result. He has hit a stage in his career where he will not carry the most minutes a night or be used in the most important moments.
But, Bortuzzo understands the reasoning and is committed to helping Utah win hockey games any way he can.
“To be on the other side of it here with [Logan] Cooley and [Dylan] Guenther, [Jack] McBain — the list kind of goes on — young guys who are super excited to come to the rink every day, that keep it light. It’s been a blast and trying to embrace it,” Bortuzzo said. “Excited to be in Utah and pumped to keep my career going here.”
