Simon Després

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Simon Després

Després makes his NHL debut against the Caps, December 2011.
Born	(1991-07-27) July 27, 1991 Laval, QC, CAN
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Pittsburgh Penguins
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	30th overall, 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins
Playing career	2011–present

Medal record
Competitor for Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver	2011 USA

Simon Després (born July 27, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was drafted 30th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Penguins.

Amateur career

A native of Laval, Quebec, Després was rated as the top professional prospect in the QMJHL by several scouting bureaus and media outlets in anticipation of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (June 26–27 in Montreal). The Sea Dogs originally acquired Després with the first overall selection at the 2007 QMJHL Entry Draft.^[1] He scored his first QMJHL goal on September 23, 2007, against the Lewiston Maineiacs.^[2] On June 26, 2009, Després became the final pick in the first round of the NHL draft, selected by the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, however he continued to play for the Sea Dogs in 2009, but remained a prospect for the Penguins.^[3]

In 2009-10, Després appeared in 63 games, scoring nine goals and 47 points, as the Sea Dogs had a league best 109 points. Despres helped the Sea Dogs reach the President's Cup finals, however, Saint John lost to the Moncton Wildcats in six games. In 21 playoff games, he had two goals and 19 points.

In 2010-11, Després was limited to 47 games, but increased his goal scoring output to 13 goals, on his way to recording 41 points and winning the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL's best defenseman. After helping Team Canada win silver in 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Despres and the Sea Dogs capped off their season by winning the President's Cup on their way to a Memorial Cup championship victory.

Professional career

Després played his first NHL game on December 1, 2011 with the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Washington Capitals.^[4] He earned his first NHL point on an assist with Chris Kunitz. He was also a plus-2 on the night^[5] His first NHL goal was scored on December 16, 2011 against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.^[6]

Després made his NHL playoff debut on Wednesday April 18, 2012 vs the Philadelphia Flyers, logging 11:22 of ice time, and finishing with a +2 in his debut. On this night, Despres became the first-ever Saint John Sea Dogs alumni to play in an NHL playoff game. Després was re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on April 23, 2012, a day after the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated from the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Awards

Emile Bouchard Trophy - QMJHL Defenceman of the Year, 2010-11
2011 Canada’s World Junior Team .^[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2006-07	Laval-Bourassa Régents	QAAA	42	8	31	39	36	5	0	2	2	8
2007–08	Saint John Sea Dogs	QMJHL	64	1	13	14	30	14	0	4	4	18
2008–09	Saint John Sea Dogs	QMJHL	66	2	30	32	74	4	0	4	4	2
2009–10	Saint John Sea Dogs	QMJHL	63	9	38	47	87	21	2	17	19	18
2010–11	Saint John Sea Dogs	QMJHL	47	13	28	41	54	19	4	8	12	16
2011–12	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL	44	5	10	15	45	10	1	1	2	2
2011–12	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	18	1	3	4	10	3	0	0	0	2
2012–13	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL	27	4	3	7	28	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	33	2	5	7	20	3	0	0	0	0
QMJHL totals			240	25	109	134	245	58	6	33	39	54
AHL totals			71	9	13	22	73	10	1	1	2	2
NHL totals			51	3	8	11	30	6	0	0	0	2

International

Year	Team	Event	Result	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2011	Canada	WJC		7	0	3	3	0
Junior int'l totals				7	0	3	3	0

References

External links

Preceded by Angelo Esposito	Pittsburgh Penguins first round draft pick 2009	Succeeded by Beau Bennett

Persondata
Name	Després, Simon
Alternative names
Short description	Canadian ice hockey defenceman
Date of birth	July 27, 1991
Place of birth	Laval, QC, CAN
Date of death
Place of death

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