Come playoff time, NHL teams from coast to coast search for players with the grit and heart to help carry the team to the next level. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have just such a talent playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

Last October, no one, including Toby Petersen himself, could have predicted that the Bloomington, Minn., native would be a member of the AHL's All-Rookie Team. After all, Petersen was less than two years removed from a pair of on-ice incidents in which he broke each of his legs.

Petersen's achievements this season shouldn't have come as a complete surprise. Petersen finshed his junior year at Bloomington Jefferson High School with 29 goals and 30 assists for 59 points and earned All-State honors. Then, after a year of junior hockey, he amassed 59-69-128 in 138 games at Colorado College.

The University of Minnesota hockey team had been traditionally comprised of just that -- Minnesotans. So, when Petersen and his brother Ian, who is three years older, both committed to play for Don Lucia at CC, it was a shock to the natives of their home state.

"It was a tough decision," said Petersen. "I wanted to get away from home, and it's a small school with small class sizes, which was ideal for me. It was a match made in heaven."

Petersen's freshman year was his most productive. The speedy center piled up 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games on a team that fell to eventual champion North Dakota in the semifinals of the Frozen Four. His production remained steady the following season, as the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder tallied 16 goals and 17 assists in 40 games.

That June, Petersen was selected by Pittsburgh in the 10th round of the draft. It was hardly the "put on the jersey and smile for the camera" draft-day scenario, however. Petersen found out about his selection only when his father, Gary, scoured the Internet for draft information.

The next day, Pittsburgh scouting director Greg Malone phoned Petersen to welcome him into the Penguin family. But, by that November, it looked as if Petersen would never become a member.

On Friday, November 13, 1999, Petersen slid into the endboards feet first and broke the fibula bone in his right leg. After months in rehabilitation, he returned and finished the season with 12 goals and 12 assists in 21 games.

The, just five months to the day after his first injury, in nearly the same spot on the ice where he had broken his right leg, Petersen caught his skate in the ice and snapped two bones in his left leg.

"The first one was painful," Petersen said. "But it was nothing compared to the second one."

After dismissing fleeting thoughts about hanging up his skates, Petersen was back on the warpath and was elected as the team's captain for his senior season.

"I rehabbed as soon as I could to get a jump in my wheels," said Petersen. "I ran into Greg Malone and Herb Brooks (Penguins scout) in the stands (at Colorado College), and they told me to keep going, because you never know what happens."

Petersen posted 33 points on 14 goals and 19 assists in 37 games his senior year.

"He started a little slow and got better and better," said Colorado College coach Scott Owens. "He was our top player. He played in all situations and in all roles."

Petersen has proven himself more than capable in the pro game this season. With 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 66 games, the 23-year-old has shown that size is hardly a factor.

"He's one of the smartest players you'll see," said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Glenn Patrick. "If you don't have size, you have to have something else.

"He has no problem taking the man. It is a surprise that he can play so physical."

The Penguins have realized this as well as Petersen made his NHL debut on Dec. 5 at Ottawa. Sometimes skating with Jaromir Jagr on his win, Petersen compiled 2-6-8 in his first 12 NHL games.

Mario Lemieux's return, while a boost for the world of hockey, was Petersen's ticket back to the minors. He has hardly sulked, scoring 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 41 games since rejoining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Patrick believes that Petersen's minor league tenure will be short-lived.

"He's going to be in the NHL next year," he said.