American defenseman T.J. Brennan, 36, has signed a contract to play for HK Olimpija Ljubljana, the Slovenia-based ICEHL club announced on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Originally from Willingboro, N.J., Brennan played in the QMJHL for the St. John’s Fog Devils and Montreal Juniors. He was taken in the second round, 31st overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Brennan played 53 NHL games between 2011 and 2016 for the Sabres, Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, recording 13 points and 29 penalty minutes.

“T.J. was a top priority for our coach, who knows and trusts him well from their time together in Salzburg,” said Olimpija GM Anže Ulčar, referring to new head coach Ben Cooper, who was an assistant coach of Red Bull Salzburg and previously and NHL assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks and Florida.

“T.J. himself was looking for a new challenge in the ICE League, and I’m very happy we reached an agreement,” Ulčar continued. “We’ve acquired an excellent power-play specialist with a very high execution rate.”

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Brennan played professionally in North America until 2020, mostly in the AHL. In addition to his NHL stops, he also played in the organizations of the Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.

In Europe, Brennan played one season each for HC Thurgau in Switzerland and in Salzburg in Austria, which was his first tenure in the ICEHL. For the last three seasons, he has played in Switzerland’s top-tier National League for HC Ajoie.

In each of the last two seasons, Olimpija has lost in the play-in round of the playoffs ahead of the quarterfinals. In addition to Brennan, this year’s team includes former NHLer Zach Boychuk and Slovenian national team captain Robert Sabolič. The team also had ex-NHLer Nick Bonino under contract before he suddenly retired in June to become an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Photo © Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images: Ottawa Senators center Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) fights against Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman T.J. Brennan (25) during the 2014-15 NHL season.

Ex-NHLer, Social Media Influencer Signs In SloveniaCanadian forward Zach Boychuk, 35, has signed a one-year contract to play for HK Olimpija Ljubljana, the Slovenian-based ICEHL club announced via social media on Monday.