Although he appeared in four games with the Avalanche during the 2008-09 season and another eight with the club in 2009-10, Philippe Dupuis still retained his rookie status in 2010-11.

After making Colorado’s roster out of training camp, Dupuis appeared in 74 games this past season (tied for seventh on the team) and established career highs in goals (6), assists (11) and points (17).

The following is a look back at the forward's first full NHL campaign.

Opening Night Roster
Dupuis made an NHL club’s Opening Night roster for the first time in his career, a significant achievement for a player who spent most of his first four professional seasons in the American Hockey League (along with a short stint in the East Coast Hockey League thrown).

Dupuis didn’t play on Opening Night against the Chicago Blackhawks, but suited up in Colorado’s next game against the Philadelphia Flyers and logged 6:21 of ice time.

First Point Of Season
The Laval, Quebec native recorded his first point of the year on Nov. 4 against the Vancouver Canucks.

In his 10th appearance of the 2010-11 campaign, Dupuis was credited with an assist on David van der Gulik’s tally during the third period of a 3-1 loss to the Canucks. It was the second career NHL point for Dupuis, who had registered one assist in his 12 NHL games prior to the 2010-11 season.

Career Night
The center enjoyed the most productive night of his NHL career on Nov. 6 against the Dallas Stars. It was a memorable evening for Dupuis, as he scored his first career NHL goal with a short-handed marker during the second period.

To make the night even more unforgettable, he also assisted on a pair of Kevin Porter tallies to register a career-best three-point (1g/2a) effort.

Two Helpers
Dupuis matched his career high with two assists during a 6-5 overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 17 at Pepsi Center.

He first assisted on Cody McLeod’s goal in the second period and later picked up a second helper on a Kevin Porter tally early in the third frame, all in just 11:07 of ice time. The performance marked Dupuis’ second career multi-point effort.

Hitting It Hard
The 6-foot, 196-pound center gained a reputation for possessing a physical edge during his first full NHL season, finishing second among Colorado forwards and fourth on the team overall with 128 hits.

Never afraid to throw his body around, one of Dupuis’ biggest body checks of the season came on Feb. 5 when he lined up Anaheim forward Jason Blake and delivered a big hit.

Breaking Away
Dupuis earned an entry into the Avalanche’s “Play of the Year” competition with his tally on Feb. 11 against Columbus.

After picking off a pass in the neutral zone, Dupuis skated in on a breakaway and beat netminder Mathieu Garon with a wrist shot. It was the fourth goal of the season for Dupuis and his second against the Blue Jackets, the team that selected him in the fourth round (104th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Individual Effort
The forward’s fifth goal of the season came on a strong individual effort, during which he simply outworked the Phoenix Coyotes’ defense on April 1 at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Dupuis opened the game’s scoring after picking up the puck in the left corner and plowing his way toward the crease before beating goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov with a shot to the short side.

Strong Finish
Dupuis concluded the season on a high note from a statistical standpoint, recording a point in each of his last three outings.

He registered an assist in both games of a home-and-home series against Dallas on April 7-8 and then scored a key goal on April 10 during Colorado’s season-ending 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center. In that final game, Dupuis pounced on a loose puck in the high slot and fired a shot past Edmonton goalie Nikolai Khabibulin.