The Dresdner Eislöwen are making a big splash with their first new signing for the coming season. As the promoted team in the German Ice Hockey League (DEL) announced, defenceman Justin Braun, a former NHL star from the Straubing Tigers, is moving to the Elbe and signing a contract for one season.
The 38-year-old has 961 games of experience in the best league in the world, the NHL. With the San Jose Sharks alone, the defenseman played over 690 games between 2012 and 2019. He also played for the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers and took part in the 2012 World Championship as a national player for the USA.
Delaying the end of his career for the second time
He had actually wanted to end his career in 2023, but answered the call from the DEL and laced up his skates for the Straubing Tigers in the past two seasons, with whom he reached the playoffs each time. He recently announced the end of his career again and wanted to enter the coaching business, but is now hanging on for one more season in Dresden.
"With Justin, we're getting an experienced defender who already knows the DEL and will give our defense more stability. Last season, he averaged over twenty minutes of ice time and had the second-best plus-minus statistics in Straubing," said Eislöwen sports director Matthias Roos.
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