# Blake Lizotte

Blake Joseph Lizotte (born December 13, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Los Angeles Kings.

## Playing career

After going undrafted out of high school, Lizotte played in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the Fargo Force from the 2015–16 season to the 2016–17 season. He then committed to play collegiate hockey at St. Cloud State University of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
In two seasons he helped lead the Huskies to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) regular-season championship in both years and helped secure the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. In his sophomore season in 2018–19, Lizotte ranked second on his team in points, tied for first in assists and fourth in goals. He was named to the NCHC First All-Star Team. Over the course of his two seasons in St. Cloud he tallied 69 points 76 games.
After suffering a second consecutive early exit with the Huskies at the NCAA Tournament, Lizotte agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings on April 2, 2019. He immediately joined the Kings to conclude the 2018–19 season, making his debut in the Kings' season finale, a 5–2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on April 6, 2019. Lizotte scored his first career NHL goal and added an assist in a 3–2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on November 9, 2019.
After scoring 10 points and leading the Kings in plus-minus rating during the 2020-21 season, Lizotte agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract extension with the Kings on June 24, 2021. He re-signed a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.675 million with the Kings on March 21, 2022.
On July 1, 2024, Lizotte signed a two-year contract, worth an average $1.85 million annually, with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was injured in a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on September 29; Penguins defenseman Kris Letang accidentally cleared the puck into his team's bench, and Lizotte was struck in the face. He sustained a concussion and missed a month of action, making his Penguins debut against the Anaheim Ducks on October 31.

## Personal life

Lizotte grew up in Lindstrom, Minnesota. His father, aged 45, died when Blake was 14 from complications of epilepsy, leaving his mother to raise him and his two brothers on her own.
Lizotte is a Christian. He is married to Abby Lizotte.

## Career statistics

| | | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2012–13 | Chisago Lakes High | USHS | 25 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Chisago Lakes High | USHS | 25 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | Minot Minotauros | NAHL | 56 | 14 | 38 | 52 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 2015–16 | Fargo Force | USHL | 54 | 12 | 34 | 46 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016–17 | Fargo Force | USHL | 56 | 19 | 46 | 65 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 39 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | St. Cloud State | NCHC | 37 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 65 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2019–20 | Ontario Reign | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 41 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 70 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 2022–23 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 81 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 70 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023–24 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 62 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| NHL totals | NHL totals | NHL totals | 320 | 37 | 69 | 106 | 154 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 |

## Awards and honors

| Award | Year |
| NAHL |||
| All-Central Rookie Team | 2015 |
| All-Central Team | 2015 |
| First All-Rookie Team | 2015 |
| Rookie of the Year | 2015 |
| USHL |||
| Second All-Star Team | 2017 |
| College |||
| NCHC All-Rookie Team | 2018 |
| NCHC All-Academic Team | 2018 |
| NCHC Scholar Athlete | 2018 |
| All-NCHC First Team | 2019 |
| AHCA West Second Team All-American | 2019 |