| NAME: |
Dustin Penner |
| NHL/AHL: |
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim / Portland Pirates |
| POSITION: |
Left Wing |
| HT: |
6-4 |
| WT: |
240 |
| BIRTHDATE: |
September 28, 1982 |
| BIRTHPLACE: |
Winkler, Manitoba |
| COLLEGE: |
North Dakota-Bottineau |
| DRAFTED |
Signed as an Undrafted Free Agent |
| SHOOTS |
Left |
Three words have been used to describe Dustin Penner:
"He's an animal.”
That was the take of Bruce Boudreau, outstanding coach of the Hershey Bears, used in the most complimentary of terms when first eyeballing the 6-4, 240 left wing. Penner had the strength of a bull, the heart of a lion, and the respect of Rodney Dangerfield.
That has changed in his second year as a Ducks' prospect, and his first one in Portland, thanks in large part to his ability to excel when teamed with fellow Anaheim phenoms Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf when they were in Portland, and his ability to excel once they were recalled by Anaheim.
His four goal explosion in a comeback win at Hartford occurred before the two more heralded Ducks flew in from Anaheim.
When they left, Penner picked right up with new linemates Igor Pohanka and Ryan Shannon to rack up points in the next eight 11 games with the Pirates. He also savored his own initial NHL callups.
"I never expected this coming into the season," said Penner, who stuck with the Ducks out of training camp, before being sent to Portland in the opening weeks of the campaign. "I ended up getting a shot, and I played pretty well when I was up there, which helped me a lot when I was sent down here."
Penner’s road to the NHL is a mountain track, replete with peaks, valleys, and hairpin turns. Yet, when it comes to making the most of an opportunity, Penner is well practiced at making his own breaks.
Nobody paid him much notice when he cut his hockey teeth back in Winkler, Manitoba with buddy and Hershey Bear Eric Fehr (MLN FAB50 Hockey 2006 No. 5).
There were no major junior teams knocking on his door, and little interest from U.S. colleges. He couldn't even get a Division-3 school to take a look at him. So he wound up playing junior college hockey at North Dakota-Bottineau, which is hardly the cradle of big leaguers.
That was enough to gain the attention of Grant Standbrook, University of Maine's legendary assistant coach and recruiting maven. After two years in Orono, Penner hooked on with Anaheim as a free agent and the rest is history.
"He's the best player I've seen this year," said Boudreau. "He plays and plays and plays."
Anaheim GM Brian Burke sounds like a proud papa when speaking about the strides Penner has made this year.
"He's one of the biggest forwards in hockey," Burke said. "And he's got good foot speed. He's put the package together well. He protects the puck well. If you're a defenseman, it's hard to get the puck off him. He can get it by you because he's a big man. He's just got to play with more consistancy and use his size. He's a guy that people are going to hear about."
Burke hits on the one element that makes or breaks the game's hulksters. Those who can move their feet are unstoppable. Those who can't keep their dogs dancing stop themselves.
Penner augments natural ability with countless hours of skating work. He began a program last year under the watchful eyes of Anaheim's former minor league coaches, Brad Shaw and Dan Bylsma.
"We always had a skills program after practice," Penner said, "and we worked on my skating. They always told me that they day I stop working on my skating is the day I stop playing. I've been working on it every day since, and it's paying dividends."
The animal’s not monkeying around.
- Dan Hickling
