Dea, 23, made his NHL debut for the Penguins in the 2016-17 regular-season finale against the New York Rangers. He was a member of the 2016 and '17 Penguins' 'Black Aces' taxi squad when the Pens won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
A 5-foot-11, 175-pound Laval, Quebec native, Dea has played three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. In 2016-17, he played 73 games, the second most on WBS, and notched 34 points (18G-16A), the seventh most on the team.
In 2015-16, Dea set career highs across the board in games played (75), goals (20), assists (16), points (36), plus-minus (+13) and shots (147) with WBS. His seven power-play goals as a rookie in 2014-15 tied him for the team lead with Scott Wilson.
Dea was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Penguins on September 17, 2013. He played three seasons with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. With the Huskies, Dea tallied 192 career points (111G-81A). In 2013-14, he scored 49 goals, 18 more than second-highest player on the team. That total set a single-season career high and tied for the fourth most in the QMJHL.
