PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Michel Ouellet was reassigned Monday to Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate — for about an hour.

The Penguins first announced they were reassigning Ouellet to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. About an hour later, they announced Ouellet will remain on the NHL roster but will be sidelined by a back injury. He was then placed on the injured reserve list.

"You can't send someone down that's injured," team spokesman Keith Wehner said.

The 23-year-old Ouellet was scoreless in three games with Pittsburgh. He was recalled Nov. 22 from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round in 2000, he leads Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season with 29 points in 17 games.