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Jackets’ Dorsett signs in Austrian league

Derek Dorsett

Red Bull Salzburg will have a decidedly Columbus-ian feel over the next little while.

On Sunday, Blue Jackets forward Derek Dorsett agreed to join the Austrian league powerhouse -- just a few days after BJ’s teammate Derick Brassard signed with Red Bull as well.

“This is something Derek has been thinking about for some time now,” Dorsett’s agent, Alain Roy, told The Columbus Dispatch. “Once they canceled games (on Friday) through Dec. 15, well, that means he’ll get to spend at least a month over there.”

Dorsett, 25, led the NHL in penalty minutes (235) last season, narrowly edging out Philly’s Zac Rinaldo (232) and Ottawa’s Zenon Konopka (193).

The Saskatchewan native has spent his entire career with the Blue Jackets organization and scored a career-high 12 goals last year -- impressive, considering he scored 12 goals combined from 2008-11.

The Blue Jackets thought so highly of Dorsett last year they made him a temporary alternate captain and signed him to a three-year, $4.9 million deal in May.

In Salzburg, Dorsett will play alongside Brassard and fellow locked-out NHLer Johnny Boychuk, who signed on back in mid-November.

The team also features veteran goalie Alex Auld and former North Stars, Nordiques, Flames and Ducks head coach Pierre Page.