Mark Letestu

Mark Letestu (born February 4, 1985, in Elk Point, Alberta), is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.

Letestu played three season of junior hockey with the Bonnyville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, before playing one season at Western Michigan of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. During the 2005–06 season with the Pontiacs, Letestu led the AJHL in scoring with 105 points (50 goals, 55 assist) in 58 games and was named the league's most valuable player. While at Western Michigan during the 2006–07 season, Letestu was the sixth in goals, fourteenth in points, and first in the NCAA with five short handed goals.

After playing at Western Michigan, Letestu was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 22, 2007. He appeared in three regular and two post-season games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate, when he joined the team at the end of the 2006–07 season. In 2007–08 he appeared in 52 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and six games with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He then spent the entire 2008–09 season in the AHL. The Penguins re-signed Letestu to a two-year contract in March 2009.

On November 14, 2009, Letestu made his NHL debut with the Penguins against the Boston Bruins. He made another appearance with the Penguins before being returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Letestu was called up again on December 5 and played that night against the Chicago Blackhawks. He played 13 minutes, 52 seconds, and won a faceoff against John Madden that set-up a tying goal by Jordan Staal with 31 seconds remaining. On February 1, 2010, Letestu scored his first NHL goal against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres, 47 seconds into the first period. The goal was assisted by Tyler Kennedy and Kris Letang. Letestu was one of seven Wilkes-Barre/Scranton players recalled by Pittsburgh after the AHL Penguins were eliminated in the first round of the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs. He appeared in his first NHL playoff game in the Penguins second round series against the Montreal Canadiens on May 4, when he replaced injured Staal as the third-line center between Kennedy and Matt Cooke. In Game 5 on May 8, Letestu recorded his first NHL playoff point with an assist on a second period goal by Sergei Gonchar.