Hurting, smarting, and playing the second of back-to-back games tonight against a challenging opponent, the Lightning have recalled forwards Johan Harju and Marc-Antoine Pouliot from the Norfolk Admirals.
Pouliot has 18 points in 12 games for the Ads this season, while Harju is the Admirals leading goal scorer and has 16 points in his first season of North American play.
These recalls reflect the Lightning’s injury woes. Simon Gagne and Steve Downie are out, and Vincent Lecavalier fractured his hand during last night’s loss to the Washington Capitals.
The full press release from the team is below the jump.
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled forwards Marc-Antoine Pouliot and Johan Harju from the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League today, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced.
Pouliot, 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, has played in 12 games with the Admirals this season, recording four goals and 18 points with a plus-4 rating. He leads Norfolk in points, assists and is tied for second on the team in power play goals with two. Pouliot has registered three goals and 11 points in Norfolk’s previous eight games. He ranks fourth in the AHL in points.
A native of Quebec City, Quebec, Pouliot appeared in 35 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season, scoring seven goals and 14 points. Pouliot also skated in four games with Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons, scoring one goal and six points. A veteran of five professional seasons, Pouliot has appeared in 176 career NHL games, all with the Oilers, notching 21 goals and 53 points.
Pouliot was drafted by the Oilers in the first round, 22nd overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed by the Lightning as a free agent on July 23, 2010.
Harju, 6-3, 210 pounds, has appeared in 12 games with the Admirals in his North American debut, recording seven goals and 16 points with a plus-2 rating. He leads Norfolk in goals, is second in points and assists, and tied for second in power play goals with two. Harju has scored a goal in three of the Admirals’ previous four games. He ranks eighth in the AHL in points and tied for ninth in goals.
A native of Overtornea, Sweden, Harju played in 55 regular season games with the Moscow Dynamo of the Kontinental Hockey League last season, recording four goals and 18 points. He played two playoff games with Moscow, recording a goal and eight penalty minutes.
Harju has represented Sweden at the previous two IIHF World Championships, held in Switzerland and Germany respectively. In 2009 he recorded two goals and four points. This past summer he notched four goals and five points.
He was selected by the Lightning in the sixth round, 167th overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
