Dustin Penner (born September 28, 1982 in Winkler, Manitoba) is a professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Penner was never drafted, instead he was discovered and signed as a free agent by the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, after he played for the University of Maine in the NCAA.
| Dustin Penner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
September 28, 1982 Winkler MB, CAN | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4.5 in (194 cm) | ||
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg; 17 st 7 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | Anaheim Ducks | ||
| NHL draft | undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2006–present | ||
Playing career
Minors
Dustin Penner began his career by playing on his highschool team; the Winkler Zodiacs, and had little hope of ever making it to the NHL. [1] After being cut by all local AAA and junior teams he tried out for, his cousin Darryl called him and offered him an opportunity to play at Minot State University-Bottineau, a junior college.
He agreed to play there, but his first year turned out to be a terrible one, as he broke his femur and did not return to play. The next year, in the 2001-02 season, he became a very important player for the club, scoring 20 goals with 13 assists in 23 games, also earning the Most Determined Player Award for his improvement and stellar play after recovering from a broken femur.
Penner then went to an evaluation camp at Saskatoon. He played well there, scoring an average of three points per game. There he was spotted by Grant Stanbrook, the assistant coach for the University of Maine. Grant offered Penner a scholarship, which he accepted. He did not play for the team that year, but joined them in all of their practices.
In the 2003-04 season Penner played for the University of Maine Black Bears and helped lead the team to the NCAA Championship game, where he scored the game-winning goal in the semifinals against Boston College. Maine then lost the championship title game to the University of Denver, 1-0.
After the loss, Penner was approached by David McNab, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim’s assistant general manager. He told Penner that he had a good chance to advance to the NHL. A month later, on May 12th, 2004, the Mighty Ducks signed him to a contract as a free agent.
He was assigned to play for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, at the time the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' American Hockey League affiliate. He had a good year with Cincinnati, but when he was moved to play for the Portland Pirates, (the Ducks current AHL affiliate) he played much better; scoring 39 goals and 45 assists in 57 games, for a total of 84 points. [2] The Mighty Ducks took notice and called him up from the minors to play in the NHL on November 23, 2005.
Professional
Dustin Penner played 19 games for the Mighty Ducks in the 2005-06 NHL Season, the first season of his career. He tallied four goals, three assists and seven points in total. But, he was sent down to play for the Ducks' current minor affiliate, the Portland Pirates, on and off during the regular season.
He was sent back and forth from the minors to the NHL [3], until finally being recalled to join Anaheim in their Stanley Cup efforts. Penner scored three goals, six assists, and nine points in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs until Anaheim was eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Conference Finals.
In the 2006-07 NHL Season Penner had a breakout year, improving significantly. He remained on the roster of the newly-named Anaheim Ducks for the entire season, scoring 29 goals, 16 assists, and 45 points. He scored the second most goals on the team, only trailing superstar Teemu Selanne. The playoffs started out well for Penner when he scored the game winning goal in game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Minnesota Wild in the 2007 NHL Playoffs. Penner also scored the game-winning goal in game 4 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals in a 3-2 victory against the Ottawa Senators to give Anaheim a 3-1 series lead. On June 6, 2007, Penner and the Ducks defeated the Senators 6-2 to win the Stanley Cup. Penner became the first former Maine Black Bear to win the Stanley Cup as a player, the other being John Tortorella, who won it in 2004 as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Dustin Penner is known for his ability to hold on to the puck for long periods of time and muscle his way around and behind the net with his big size. He is also recognized as a power forward, skilled at deflecting the puck. [4]
Awards & Achievements
- 2001-02 - NJCAA - Most Determined Player Award - MSU-Bottineau
- 2002-03 - NCAA - All-Tournament Team
- 2003-04 - NCAA - Jack Semler Award, University of Maine (Most Improved Player)
- 2006-07 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Anaheim)
Transactions
- May 12, 2004 - Signed as a free agent by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
Career Statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001-02 | MSU-Bottineau | NJCAA | 23 | 20 | 13 | 33 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Maine | NCAA | 43 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 52 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2004-05 | Cincinnati Mighty Ducks | AHL | 77 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 82 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | ||
| 2005-06 | Portland Pirates | AHL | 57 | 39 | 45 | 84 | 68 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2005-06 | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | NHL | 19 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 2006-07 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 82 | 29 | 16 | 45 | 58 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | ||
| NCAA Totals | 70 | 31 | 35 | 56 | 52 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| AHL Totals | 134 | 49 | 63 | 112 | 150 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 13 | ||||
| NHL Totals | 101 | 33 | 19 | 52 | 72 | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 14 | ||||