Lightning ink Ouellet, Wyman

The Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL parent club of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, have signed free-agent right wings Michel Ouellet and J.T. Wyman to one-year, two-way contracts, Lightning vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced. The forward also played for the Lightning during the 2007-08 season.

Ouellet, 6-foot, 203 pounds, has spent the previous two seasons in Europe. Last year he played in 39 games for the Hamburg Freezers of the German Elite League, notching 11 goals and 28 points. He ranked fourth on the team in points and was also tied for third for assists and fourth for goals. In 2009-10, Ouellet skated for Fribourg-Gotteron of the Swiss Elite League, recording a goal and five points in 11 games.

Ouellet, 29, has appeared in 228 career AHL games between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Manitoba Moose, scoring 84 goals and 184 points. He has also played 33 career Calder Cup Playoff games, scoring four goals and 17 points for the Penguins.

Ouellet has twice scored 30 goals or more in his AHL career, scoring 30 markers in 2003-04 and 31 tallies in 2004-05 for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 2003-04, his first season in the league, Ouellet finished first among rookies with 30 goals and fifth among first-year players with 49 points to lead his team in both categories, and he reached the 2004 Calder Cup Finals. He was named to the 2003-04 AHL All-Rookie team and was a starter at the 2005 AHL All-Star Classic in Manchester.

A native of Rimouski, Que., Ouellet has played in 190 career NHL games with the Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks. During that time he has amassed 52 goals, 27 power-play goals and 116 points. Ouellet played in 64 games with Tampa Bay during the 2007-08 season, registering 17 goals and 36 points, both the second-highest totals of his career. That season he led the Bolts in plus/minus rating with a plus-11 and was fourth in goals. Ouellet has played in five Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with Pittsburgh in 2007, notching two assists. Ouellet was originally drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Wyman, 6-foot-2, 199 pounds, played in all 80 games for the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs last season, recording 18 goals and 36 points. He was fourth on the Bulldogs for goals and fifth for points. He set career highs for goals and penalty minutes with 36. Wyman has played in 216 career AHL games, all with Hamilton, recording 41 goals and 85 points. He has also skated in 45 career Calder Cup Playoff games, notching four goals and 13 points.

Wyman has played in three career NHL games, all with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2009-10 season. Wyman was drafted by Montreal in the fourth round, 100th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.