A former first round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins is continuing to play the game of hockey despite no longer being part of the NHL.
The Nottingham Panthers of the United Kingdom’s EIHL announced that former Penguins defenseman Simon Despres will join their club.
Over the past few weeks, the Panthers have become known across the hockey world following the tragic death of Adam Johnson.
Johnson was also a former Penguins prospect who played all 13 of his NHL games with Pittsburgh.
Despres played 193 career games in the NHL with his first 144 coming with the Penguins.
In parts of four seasons with the Penguins, Despres scored five goals and 28 assists for 33 total points.
Through his career, Despres scored a total of six goals and 37 assists for 43 points; after the Penguins the remainder of his career was played with the Anaheim Ducks.
The Penguins drafted Despres in the first round (30th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft and was traded during the 2014-15 season to the Ducks for Ben Lovejoy.
The Panthers announced the Despres will make his debut on Sunday.
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