What will Robert Bortuzzo do for the Utah Hockey Club this season?

A Google search of Robert Bortuzzo’s name won’t yield a highlight reel full of goals or pretty passing plays — that’s not his job. It will, however, show clip after clip of him putting opponents on their butts and fans on their feet.

A veteran of 560 games over 13 NHL seasons, Bortuzzo signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday worth the league minimum of $775,000.

“They signed me not to do anything outside of what I’ve done the last 12 years,” Bortuzzo told the media at his introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “So, play hard, be a good teammate.”

Robert Bortuzzo’s leadership role

Coaches, general managers and players across the league talk about the importance of bringing in players who have won the Stanley Cup.

With the Bortuzzo signing, Utah has added its fourth Stanley Cup champion and sixth ring. Ian Cole and Mikhail Sergachev have each won it twice, while Bortuzzo and Kevin Stenlund have each captured it once.

Those veterans will instill their knowledge into the fifth-youngest team in the NHL, and that’s one of Bortuzzo’s main responsibilities.

“There’s no better feeling than being part of something as a team and trying to accomplish something together,” he said.

Bortuzzo is also excited for the dynamic between the veterans and younger players.

“I was one of those young guys once and I enjoyed being around the older guys,” he said. “I’m sure now I’ll just love hanging out with the younger guys.”

Bortuzzo said he learned a lot from former teammates of his — specifically Alex Steen and Jay Bouwmeester — and he looks forward to having that same influence on Utah’s younger players.

From afar, Bortuzzo has been impressed by the dynamic that the team already has.

“There’s that hunger to them that, as a player, you can kind of just see it,” he said. “They (compete) hard at the puck, they (play) with a tenacity on offense and defense. It sounds like it’s a close-knit group.”

Robert Bortuzzo’s on-ice role

On the ice, Bortuzzo will not be expected to do everything. His only point last year was an assist in overtime to stave off elimination in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. His main on-ice role will simply be to do as much as he can.

“In terms of my skill set, it’s just trying to play as steady as I can, play with an edge, chip in on the penalty kill,” he said.

Bortuzzo played more than a minute per game on the penalty kill last season. He also racked up 27 penalty minutes, including a fight, during the 27 regular-season games he played.

The team’s goal, he said, is to “be hard to play against, be competitive and play fast.”

Who would win in a fight: Robert Bortuzzo or Liam O’Brien?

“Oh, yeah. I forgot me and Spicy had a fight there,” Bortuzzo chuckled, reminiscing on a 2021 scrap with new teammate Liam “Spicy Tuna” O’Brien. “I’m pretty sure he won. He wins more than he loses, unlike me.”

Don’t worry, though — Bortuzzo doesn’t hold grudges.

“He’s a tough cookie and I heard he’s a great dude,” he said.

Even if it were to be an issue, Bortuzzo once fought a teammate , Zach Sanford, during practice and it worked wonders for the team.

At the time, the St. Louis Blues were the third-worst team in the league. A few dominoes — including the fight — fell over the course of a month or so, and something changed for the Blues.

They went 30-10-5 from New Year’s Day to the end of the season and went on to win the Stanley Cup that spring.