Former Penguins defenseman Simon Despres signs in Scotland
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Simon Despres has signed with the Fife Flyers, a Scottish team based in the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League.
That team announced the transaction with a release on Tuesday.
Despres, 34, was a first-round draft pick (No. 30 overall) of the Penguins in 2009.
In parts of four seasons with the Penguins, Despres scored 33 points (five goals, 33 assists) while averaging 15:54 of ice time per contest.
He also spent parts of three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks but has not played in the NHL since 2016-17.
A native of Laval, Quebec, Despres has led a nomadic career over the past nine seasons, playing for professional teams in Slovakia, Germany, Sweden, Austria and Scotland.
Despres opened this season with Saint-Hyacinthe Bataillon, a semi-professional team that competes in the Quebec-based Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey. In nine games with that club, he had two assists.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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