Tampa Bay Lightning forward Waltteri Merela has signed with SC Bern in Switzerland, it was announced Monday.
A product of Ylojarvi, Finland, Merela signed with the Lightning last summer as a free agent after spending parts of five seasons playing in the top Finnish pro league (Liiga).
Merela split this past season between the Lightning and the Syracuse Crunch, scoring one goal in 19 games with Tampa Bay and collecting 34 points in 55 regular season games with the Crunch.
Merela also spent time with the Crunch during the playoffs, scoring three goals in eight playoff games.
As Merela returns overseas for next season, it is unlikely that he returns to North America. While he proved to be a serviceable depth player on the Lightning and might have drawn interest from NHL teams, Merela seems destined to stay in Europe to play.
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