Canadian center Jean-Sébastien Dea, 31, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the season for Eisbären Berlin, the DEL club announced on Wednesday.

The signing comes a day after he was released from his KHL team.

“The Eisbären are a great organization and I’m thrilled about this opportunity,” Dea is quoted in the club’s announcement. “I already know some of my new teammates and have heard incredible things about the city and the fans. I can’t wait to meet everyone, get started, and hopefully bring another championship to Berlin.”

Dea joins a Berlin team that has won the last four DEL championships over the past five seasons and the last two in a row. Other players on the roster include ex-NHLers Markus Niemeläinen and Lean Bergmann and British national team star Liam Kirk.

“With Jean-Sébastien, we have been able to sign an internationally experienced center,” said Berlin sports director Stéphane Richer. “He not only adds depth to our squad, but he’s also a very good skater and a strong playmaker and has good finish.”

Confirmed: Liam Kirk to Eisbären Berlin It’s been speculated ever since his departure from Czech club HC Lítvinov and on Sunday it was confirmed: British star forward Liam Kirk has signed a two-year contract with German champion Eisbären Berlin.

Originally from Laval, Que., Dea played junior hockey for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. Never drafted by an NHL team, he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the spring of 2014.

Between 2016 and 2023, Dea played 37 NHL games for the Penguins, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes, recording seven points and 14 penalty minutes. He also played in the Montreal Canadiens organization, but spent the vast majority of his North American pro career in the AHL.

From 2023 until early in this season, Dea played in the KHL, first for Metallurg Magnitogorsk and then for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, recording 51 points in 120 games. He had three points in 16 games for Neftekhimik this season before being released on Tuesday.

Tobias Eder Of Eisbären Berlin And German National Team Succumbs To Cancer Sad news out of Germany, as DEL club <a href="https://www.eisbaeren.de/news/detail/tobi-eder-verstorben">Eisbären Berlin announced on Wednesday</a> the passing of center Tobias Eder from complications related to cancer.