Penguins Reclaim J.S. Dea From New Jersey Devils

The Pittsburgh Penguins reclaimed forward Jean-Sebastien Dea from the New Jersey Devils and assigned him to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Thursday according to General Manager Jim Rutherford.

Dea, 24, was claimed by New Jersey on Sept. 28 after the Penguins attempted to demote Dea to WBS. Dea played in 20 games for New Jersey. He scored five points, including three goals in his first four games but he was scoreless in last eight games.

Because Dea was claimed from the Penguins then reclaimed by the team, he can report to WBS without passing through waivers. Dea appeared in five games last season for the Penguins. He scored one goal, but it was a game winner against Carolina on Jan. 23. Dea also skated a member of the Penguins Black Aces practice squad during the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championships.

Last season for the WBS Penguins, Dea had career highs in points (50) and assists (32) in 70 games. He was named the WBS Penguins MVP last season. In 262 career AHL games for WBS, Dea has 141 points (66g, 75a).

The 5-foot-11 native of Laval, Quebec was an undrafted free agent signed in 2014. This is his sixth professional season.