The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Simon Despres from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Despres, 20, played 13 games with Pittsburgh during his first NHL stint earlier this season. He tallied one goal, three assists, four points and a plus-4 rating while averaging 15:27 minutes per game. Despres made his NHL debut with Pittsburgh against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 1, earning his first NHL point (assist) that night.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound native of Laval, Quebec has played in 25 AHL games this season for WBS, scoring three goals, four assists and seven points. Last week, Despres was chosen to represent the Eastern Conference in the AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 29-30 in Atlantic City, N.J.