A physical player who doesn't fill up the score sheet, Bortuzzo is a smooth skater and reliable puck-mover with a coveted right-hand shot.

The Pittsburgh Penguins selected him in the third round (No. 78) in the 2007 NHL Draft, before he helped Kitchener win the Ontario Hockey League championship and reach the Memorial Cup final in 2008. Bortuzzo turned pro in 2009-10 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and his plus-13 rating led the club's defensemen that season. His steady play helped Wilkes-Barre/Scranton give up the fewest goals in the AHL in 2010-11 (183) and 2012-13 (178).

Bortuzzo made his NHL debut Nov. 5, 2011, against the Los Angeles Kings and played six games with the Penguins that season. He played 15 games for Pittsburgh in 2012-13, finishing with a plus-three rating and scoring his first NHL goal against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils on Feb. 6, 2013.

Establishing himself as an NHL regular in 2013-14, Bortuzzo had 10 assists and 137 hits, second among Penguins defensemen, in 54 games. He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut April 26, 2014, against the Columbus Blue Jackets and got his first NHL postseason point May 5, 2014, when he assisted on a Sidney Crosby goal against the New York Rangers.

The Penguins traded Bortuzzo and a 2016 seventh-round draft pick to the St. Louis Blues for Ian Cole on March 2, 2015. He made his Blues debut March 5, 2015, against the Philadelphia Flyers.

In 2015-16, his first full season with St. Louis, Bortuzzo played 40 games and was fifth on the Blues in penalty minutes (52).