Sleeper Watch

On December 16, 2005, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therien stood behind an NHL bench for the first time since his days in Montreal after replacing the fired Ed Olczyk. Prior to the 7 p.m. home game against Buffalo, Therien made it his first order of business to recall his favorite Wilkes-Barre Scranton Baby Penguin forward, Michel Ouellet. The rookie scored a goal in the 4-3 loss, but little did fans know that that would be the first of many to come. Since that date, he has 17 points in 15 games, making him the third-highest scoring rookie in the weeks following that game against Buffalo, behind only Sidney Crosby (18) and Alexander Ovechkin (21). With an uncanny knack for finishing, most of Ouellet’s production has come on the power play (13 points). However, fantasy owners could expect his even-strength production to increase as a disgruntled Therien has been shuffling lines with Ouellet ending up playing alongside Crosby somewhat regularly.

Although the team’s playoff hopes look dismal, the Penguins’ future could not be brighter. They regularly start nine rookies, not including talented second-year players such as Ryan Malone, Tomas Surovy, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Furthermore, Evgeni Malkin should be wearing a Pittsburgh jersey in 2006 and is already being touted as next year’s Calder Trophy front-runner. On January 3 in Montreal, the Penguins were the first team since the ‘91 Nordiques to have four rookies score goals in a game, as Crosby and Ouellet, whose combined age of 41 is just one more than team captain Mario Lemieux’s 40, netted two each to complement fellow rookies Shane Endicott and Maxime Talbot in a 6-4 victory over the Canadiens. Ouellet is surprisingly still available in many leagues and would make a great addition for a fantasy team that needs help at right wing. Following a brief hot streak, the Penguins have now dropped seven straight. Nevertheless, look for Ouellet to continue to shine on a struggling team and produce for the remainder of the season.

Related Cafe Articles

• Other articles by Ryan Moorman
• Marc-Andre Fleury by Hongfu Chen (posted on 01/06/2006 in Sleepers)
• Marek Svatos by Arlo Vander (posted on 11/25/2005 in Sleepers)
• Sleeper of the Week by Ryan Moorman (posted on 12/17/2006 in Sleepers)