Pascal Dupuis
Pascal Dupuis was never drafted to the NHL. The Laval, Quebec native played four seasons in the QMJHL with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Shawinigan Cataractes from 1996-2000, where he recorded 247 points in 229 games. He signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Wild in September 2000 and spent most of the 2000-01 season in the IHL with the Cleveland Lumberjacks. He spent his first full season in the NHL the following year, where he led all Minnesota rookies with 27 points in 76 games. He played in 80 games during the 2002-03 season, where he set career-highs with 20 goals, 28 assists, 48 points and a +17 rating, which has yet to be broken. He spent the 2004-05 NHL lockout season with Ajoie of the Swiss league, where he played 8 games. After re-signing with Minnesota, he started the 2006-07 season playing in 48 games with the Wild until he was traded to the New York Rangers for Adam Hall in February. He played in only 6 games with the Rangers before getting traded again, along with a third round draft pick, to the Atlanta Thrashers for Alex Bourret. After that busy season, he re-signed with Atlanta to a one-year contract. He started off the 2007-08 season playing in 62 games with the Thrashers, where he only produced 15 points. In February, he was traded, along with Marian Hossa, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and a first round draft pick. He finished the season recording 12 points in 16 games with Pittsburgh, including a goal in his first game, which means he has scored in his debut with all four of his NHL teams. He re-signed with Pittsburgh to a three-year contract during the off-season and helped his team become the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions. At 6’1 and around 200 pounds, Dupuis plays with a lot of energy and speed, along with being able to play any forward position. However, he needs to create more opportunities around the net and become more consistent on the offense.
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