Anthony Beauvillier had an obvious rooting interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins a long time ago.

A native of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, he gravitated to that small town’s most celebrated native, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

In fact, the first NHL game Beauvillier attended was a playoff game between the Penguins and Montreal Canadiens during the 2010 postseason.

“It was just natural for me to be a Penguins fan growing up,” Beauvillier said. “I just remember cheering him on. I wanted Marc-Andre to do well. He was an idol for me and a role model for me growing up. I was always following the Penguins closely.”

The 27-year-old forward’s feelings on the Penguins became a bit more direct July 1 when he signed a one-year contract worth $1.25 million in hopes of getting his own career back on track.

“I feel like starting the year with this group of guys is going to help me out a lot,” Beauvillier said during a video conference Thursday. “I just want to have consistency in my game and bring what I do best. I bring speed and skills, and I’m tenacious. I’m going to do that, and the rest is going to take care of itself.”

Seemingly, what Beauvillier did best in 2023-24 was travel.

He suited up for three teams over the campaign and never seemed to gain substantial traction with any of those outfits.

Opening the season as a member of the Vancouver Canucks, Beauvillier played in 22 games in “Hollywood North” before being moved to his second city, the “Second City.” On Nov. 28, he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.

He appeared in 23 games with the Blackhawks — and missed 18 because of a wrist injury — before he was on the move again, dealt to the Nashville Predators on March 7. He finished the season by honky tonking in 15 regular season games for the Music City (and six postseason contests).

In total, he posted an unremarkable 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 60 regular season contests while averaging 13 minutes, 35 seconds of ice time per game.

“It was, obviously, not an easy season for me, especially mentally,” Beauvillier said. “It was tough just getting used to different systems, getting used to different dressing rooms and different (teammates). And getting to know the cities and getting comfortable everywhere wasn’t easy. But I feel like I’ve learned a lot last season.

“Obviously, looking for more stability now. I feel like joining the Penguins, it’s going to be good for me.”

Playing against the Penguins hasn’t been bad for him in the past. A first-round pick (No. 28 overall) of the New York Islanders in 2015, Beauvillier (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) spent most of the first seven years of his career on Long Island and was an occasional nemesis to the Penguins.

That was very much the case during the 2021 postseason. During a first-round win by the Islanders, Beauvillier led all scorers on both teams with seven points (three goals, four assists).

Perhaps most notably, he scored the Islanders’ opening goal of a series-clinching 5-3 win in Game 6 by jetting past an uncharacteristically sluggish Sidney Crosby.

“I love playing in Pittsburgh,” Beauvillier said. “The fans are great there. The atmosphere, it just makes you a little bit more excited to play. … You’ve got to be ready. It’s always hard to go to Pittsburgh and win a hockey game. Now, I’m just glad to be on the good side of it.”

Beauvillier is used to playing on both sides of a line. Last season, he opened 37 games on the left wing and 22 at the right wing.

His versatility figures to be highly useful for a Penguins lineup that was often missing top-six wingers because of injuries last season.

“I can play left, I can play right, and I played maybe a game or two at center as well last season,” said Beauvillier, a left-handed shot. “I can play anywhere, I guess, except defenseman and goalie. I’m at my best when I play with speed and play with instinct. I feel like I’m good on the forecheck. A good stick. All around. That’s usually when I’m at my best.”

Penguins management is hopeful he will look like the player who put up a career-best 21 goals with the Islanders in 2017-18.

“I don’t think this last stretch has gone particularly well for him by any measure,” Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas said July 1. “But when you watch the film and you start to dig into it, that player that was so effective for the Islanders and going back to his draft year and just continuing to get better and better is still there. We just have to provide the environment for him to show that again.”

For a variety of reasons, Beauvillier is excited about his new environment.

“I feel like that’s going to be up to me to prove whatever I can do to have the best role possible,” Beauvillier said. “Honestly, I just want to bring my best. I want to be good offensively and defensively. The fit for me to come to Pittsburgh was good.”