Simon Després
| Simon Després | |
|---|---|
 Després with the Penguins in 2014. | |
| Born | July 27, 1991 Laval, QC, CAN |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) |
| Weight | 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Anaheim Ducks Pittsburgh Penguins |
| NHL Draft | 30th overall, 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Playing career | 2011–present |
Simon Després (born July 27, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. He was drafted 30th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Penguins.
Playing career
Amateur
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
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 17, 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.
On March 2, 2015, Despres was traded by the Penguins to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Ben Lovejoy.[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 | ||
| 2013–14 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 36 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 39 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 32 | ||
| 2013–14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 34 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 59 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 144 | 5 | 28 | 33 | 120 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Canada
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Silver | 2011 Buffalo | |
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Canada | WJC |  |
7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||||
Awards
- Emile Bouchard Trophy - QMJHL Defenceman of the Year, 2010-11
- 2011 Canada’s World Junior Team .[8]
References
- ↑ "Simon Després Named To Canadian National Under-18 Team". OurSportsCentral.com. 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2012-03-04.
- ↑ http://www.lhjmq.qc.ca/lang_en/index.php?page=2147483647&id_register=10229
- ↑ "Penguins cut 14". Post-Gazette. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
- ↑ "Simon Despres impresses in NHL debut as Penguins stymie Capitals". bleacherreport.com. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ↑ Simon Després’ Performance on World Stage Has Penguins Hopeful - The Hockey Writers |
- ↑ "Penguins too strong for Sabres". National Hockey League. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
- ↑ "Ducks acquire Despres from Pittsburgh in exchange for Lovejoy". Anaheim Ducks. 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
- ↑ "Hockey Canada Selection Camp: Team Profile". Hockey Canada. 2011-05-06. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
External links
- Simon Després's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Simon Després's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
| Preceded by Angelo Esposito |
Pittsburgh Penguins first round draft pick 2009 |
Succeeded by Beau Bennett |