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Stefan Noesen looks on during warmups before a game against the Washington Capitals at Prudential Center on March 19, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.
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Fresh off red-hot AHL start, Stefan Noesen gets another NHL shot with Penguins

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Fresh off red-hot AHL start, Stefan Noesen gets another NHL shot with Penguins

As summer faded into fall and hockey season approached, Stefan Noesen searched for clarity during the most uncertain period of his professional career.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward was a veteran of two NHL clubs, playing more than 150 games with the Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils. But after playing the majority of the last three seasons for the Devils, he entered the offseason without a contract.

He spent the next weeks and months calling teams — often on his own behalf — gauging interest and waiting. Then, he got what he thought would be his shot: a camp invite for the Dallas Stars, the team he grew up rooting for.

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“Who wouldn’t want to have a chance to play back in their hometown?” Noesen said.

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But that chance was short-lived. He was released just before the start of the season. So now what?

Noesen had begun his career as a first-round pick (21st overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 draft. But now, he was left wondering where he could get some ice time.

“That’s the nature of the beast,” Noesen said, “That’s the game. I had a feeling there might be a chance where I end up back in the minors. But I tried to spin it into a positive, build my confidence and build myself back up into the player that I knew that I could be.”

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Now, just two months after searching for a team, Noesen is back in the NHL and is expected to be in the lineup for the Penguins against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. With Patric Hornqvist out, the list of injured forwards on the Penguins’ roster has grown and presented an opportunity.

But to get back to the highest level, in some ways, Noesen had to start back at the beginning. It took the help of his former junior hockey coach and mentor, a confidence-building stint in the American Hockey League and with health, finally, back on his side.

After he was released by the Stars, Noesen got in touch with Mike Vellucci, the first-year coach and general manager of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The two had formed a bond that goes beyond a player-coach relationship during the four seasons that Noesen played for Vellucci on the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL.

“Mike was a huge reason for why I came to Wilkes-Barre and the Pittsburgh organization in general,” Noesen said. “He told me he would do his best to get me back up here.”

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There were no guarantees at first. Noesen was initially just signed to a minor-league deal. But, in some ways, he said that gave him the freedom to play like a “kid” and just enjoy the time on the ice.

Success followed. In 22 games, Noesen became one of the AHL’s most proficient scorers, tallying 14 goals (second-best in the league) and 22 points (ninth). The combination of AHL success coupled with the experience of more than 150 games NHL games gave the Penguins confidence that he could contribute to their club. They signed him to a one-year, two-way contract on Monday. 

“He knows what to expect,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s played in this league. He’s got a significant number of games under his belt. I think that in and of itself is really important.

“The fact that he’s played in Wilkes-Barre for a while, they play a very similar game to us. They speak the same vocabulary that we speak. They run similar drills.”

Staying healthy has been one of the key factors for Noesen. In 2013, he had a devastating knee injury that required surgery to repair his ACL and MCL. The injury limited him through the next two seasons and has continued to nag him throughout his professional career.

In 2017-18, when he felt fully healthy, Noesen produced the best year of his professional career. He tallied 13 goals and 14 assists in 72 NHL games. However, last year the knee issues resurfaced. He was limited to just 41 games, eight points and, ultimately, didn’t get another contract.

“I’m feeling good, if not as good as I did in that 17-18 year,” Noesen said.

At practice on Tuesday, the Penguins threw the new guy into the fire. He played right wing on a line with center Jared McCann and left wing Alex Galchenyuk. During one segment of drills, he followed up a rebound and back-handed the puck into the net.

Later, the Penguins inserted Noesen with the top power play unit. He played in front of the net, typically where Hornqvist lives. He battled for a puck below the goal line and set up Jake Guentzel for a goal, prompting stick taps from many of the Penguins, Sullivan included.

These two examples from practice illustrate what the Penguins hope to get out of the call-up. He’s a big body who isn’t afraid to go into the battle areas of the ice or stir some stuff in front of the net. In that regard, he’s similar in some ways to Hornqvist, the guy whose injury created the opportunity.

“We play the same style,” Noesen said. “We’re kind of agitators on the ice. We play hard. The way that he battles in front of the net, I try to do the same thing.”

Can he get that early practice production to translate into the game?

“Anything can happen,” Noesen said. “You never know. I didn’t expect to go down to the minors and score as many as I have.”

First Published: December 3, 2019, 8:56 p.m.

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Stefan Noesen looks on during warmups before a game against the Washington Capitals at Prudential Center on March 19, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.  (Getty Images)
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