Blake Lizotte was unable to play the first 11 games of the season with his new team, as the forward recovered from a concussion suffered during the Hockeyville game. Since returning from injury, Lizotte has helped the Penguins to back-to-back wins and scored his first goal with the team Saturday night against Montreal.

After playing for the Fargo Force of the USHL from 2015 to 2017, Lizotte then played two seasons for St. Cloud State University. Undrafted, he signed his first NHL contract on April 2, 2019 with the Kings – and appeared in more than 300 games with Los Angeles over more than five seasons.

Now with the Penguins, Lizotte aims train your new teammates into combat.

“I think tenacity and energy are the two biggest things I bring to the group,” Lizotte said before his debut with the Penguins.

“He brings a lot of speed. He’s a hard-working guy. He is conscientious defensively. He’s tough to play against, and I think he’s going to bring that element to our team,” Mike Sullivan said.

The Penguins head coach was the first to call Blake “Lizzo” during a press briefing, so of course we had to ask the 5-foot-7 forward about that and more during a recent question-and-answer session.

Can you share the story of your nickname? I think it’s just because of my last name, it has nothing to do with the singer (laughs). We’re pretty opposite people, so no connection there. But I think it started with “Liz,” Lizotte had too many syllables, and there was a lot going on. It kind of started in junior with just Liz, and eventually morphed into Lizzo.

Being from Minnesota, what was it like growing up in such a hockey-focused state? Is this something that has always been in your life? Yeah, pretty much. I would say that most kids, almost all kids, play hockey at one time or another. Growing up in Minnesota, this is starting to be a cliché, but every kid somehow starts outside, on the pond in the backyard. We had a group of neighborhood kids growing up who loved playing hockey, and we had a pond in our backyard. So for as long as I can remember, we were playing every free opportunity we had.

Going undrafted while being an undersized forward must have had its challenges. What did you learn the most when you turned professional compared to where you are now? People are going to tell you your whole life, “You can’t do this, you can’t do that,” but you just have to believe in yourself. I think in the world of sport it’s easy to see success stories, like me. I kind of pushed through this narrative of “he’s too small, he’s undrafted, he’s no good,” all at a young age. But in reality, people will tell you that you can’t do things. Whether it’s business, school, or whatever type of goal you have, if you do what it takes to put yourself in a position to “get lucky,” I believe you can create your own luck by working hard.

What advice would you give to your younger self? Probably to not worry about the little things in life. Life is too short to worry about the little things that happen in your day, whether someone is mean to you or whatever. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter – as long as you have a family that you love and you’re happy with who you are as a person, I think that’s the most important thing.

After living in Los Angeles for so long, moving to Pittsburgh is a big adjustment. What have been your impressions so far? Growing up, I always thought of Pittsburgh as kind of a Midwest type city, on the East Coast, if you will. I kind of knew the landscape, and having grown up in a small town in Minnesota, I feel right at home here. So there aren’t really a lot of surprises, but it’s definitely nice to be in a more Midwestern environment. Great people here, a little slower pace, which my wife and I love. As for Los Angeles, I have no complaints in terms of organization. But it’s a breath of fresh air to be in Pittsburgh and have this slower lifestyle. I think people here have good morals, good character and good values. So yes, it’s a good place to be with good people around you.

What places have you visited around here? We really like Off the Hook, the seafood restaurant. We also tried a few different places downtown. There is also a Thai restaurant, Pusadee’s Garden, we love it. The food scene in Pittsburgh is pretty good. So yes, we enjoyed it.

What does a perfect day off from the rink look like for you? An ideal day would be to sip a cup of coffee and then play golf. I love golf.

What is your favorite snack? A cheat meal? I love ice cream, it’s my weak point. Cold Stone Creamery has to be my favorite ice cream. So that’s a bit of my weak point. But in terms of dining, I love Chick-fil-A.

What artists or music have you listened to recently? I’ll listen to anything, I’m not picky, but I like Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Riley Green. So yeah, anything country suits me perfectly.

What is the best concert you have ever attended? Zach Bryan, of course. It was simply incredible.

What is your favorite vacation spot? It’s probably Sorrento, Italy. I saw the Amalfi Coast, the island of Capri. Italy is my favorite place. I love pizza and pasta, so this was great.

Finally, what TV shows or movies do you watch? My wife and I are huge Harry Potter fans. Every Halloween we start watching the Harry Potter movies until Christmas. I looked through them recently.