Simon Despres had a goal in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's 4-0 win Wednesday night versus Hershey. The 21-year-old has shown he is an NHL-caliber defenseman, so he's just in the AHL to stay fresh. The goal was his first of the season.

Simon Despres will begin the 2012-13 campaign in the minors with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton due to the NHL lockout. "He has shown he can be an NHL defenseman," coach John Hynes said. "For him, it's just about being consistent now. He has the talent, the ability. His game is capable of transferring quite well to the NHL. We just want to get him more consistent every day." He will probably head back to Pittsburgh once the lockout ends, but for now he'll continue to work on his game and help lead a talented group of defenders in the AHL.

Simon Despres will report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Despres has been sent to the minors now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have been eliminated from the playoffs. He had a goal and four points in 18 NHL games this season.

Simon Despres has been recalled from the minors and it is expected that he will play in Game 4 on Wednesday night. He is set to replace injured defenseman Paul Martin in the lineup and make his NHL playoff debut.

With Matt Niskanen back, the Penguins have sent Simon Despres back to Wilkes-Barre of the AHL. Despres has appeared in 18 games with Pittsburgh this season and has four points and a plus-5 rating. Despres is a promising defenseman in Pittsburgh's pipeline and is someone to keep an eye on in keeper leagues.

Simon Despres was recalled from the minors on Monday. In 16 games with Pittsburgh, the 20-year-old defender has four points and a plus-5 rating.

Simon Despres was returned to the minors after Sunday's triumph over Boston. He had three shots and a plus-1 rating in 13:42 of ice time in the contest. Despres has appeared in 16 games with Pittsburgh this season.

Simon Despres has been called up by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despres has nine points and 32 penalty minutes in 31 AHL games this season. He also has a goal and four penalty minutes in 14 contests with Pittsburgh. Despres was selected with the 30th overall pick by the Penguins in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

Simon Despres (knee) will report to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Despres, who had been dealing with a tweaked knee, had to be activated from the injured reserve list before he could be sent down. Despres has a goal and four points in 14 games with Pittsburgh this season.

Simon Despres "tweaked" his ailing knee on Thursday. Despres has been sidelined with an injured MCL. "It's part of coming back," he said. "You're pushing your body. When you don't have those tweaks, you know you're ready." On Monday, coach Dan Bylsma suggested that Despres was "five-to-10 days" away from returning, but this recent setback might have derailed that timeline.