Netminder Phillippe DeRouville was top prospect in junior but his NHL tenure lasted all of three games in the 90s. He bounced around the minors for five years before ending a career that promised much more.
Born in Victoriaville, Quebec, DeRouville played in the QAAA with Magog before joining Longueuil of the QMJHL. He was chosen 115th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 then returned to junior for two more years. The gifted youngster was named to the league's second all-star team in 1993 and 1994. In 1993-94 his 3.06 goals against average was the best in the QMJHL.
DeRouville played most of his first two pro seasons with the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks but was recalled to make the odd appearance between the pipes for the Pens. In 1996-97, the emergence of rookie Patrick Lalime kept him from moving up to Pittsburgh. Eventually young goalie Jean-Sebastian Aubin and Peter Skudra supplanted DeRouville on the club's depth chart. Over his last two years he played in the ECHL, IHL, AHL and CHL before retiring in 1999.
