Dennis Wideman was somewhat under the radar coming into 2004-05, but he has been a pleasant surprise in his rookie season for the AHL’s Worcester IceCats.
A native of Kitchener, Ont., the 21-year-old Wideman was a 2002 draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres, though he never signed a contract with the club.
He played five junior seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, and was an OHL First Team All-Star with the London Knights last season.
Wideman came to the St. Louis Blues organization as a free agent on June 30, 2004, and was assigned to Worcester to begin his pro career.
Dennis made an early impression on the AHL with a five-point effort in just his second professional game. He went on to win the Rookie of the Month honors for October and has added five more multi-point games to his tab since.
Through 46 games played, Wideman leads all rookie blueliners with 29 points on 8 goals and 21 assists.
Already showing he can be productive at the triple-a level, expect the Blues’ brass to give him a shot to prove what he can do in the NHL when play resumes.
