Montreal Canadiens general manager Pierre Gauthier announced Tuesday the signing of goaltender Nathan Lawson by the Canadiens, parent club of the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs, to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2011-12 season.
Lawson, 27, played his first 10 NHL games with the New York Islanders in 2010-11, posting a 1-4-2 record, a 4.06 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage. He spent most of the season with the Islanders’ development team in the American Hockey League (AHL), suiting up for 16 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had a record of 6-5-4 with a 2.90 GAA and a .913 save percentage for Bridgeport in 2010-11.
A native of Calgary, Alta., Lawson played a total of 83 games in the AHL over the past three seasons, posting a 41-30-9 record with a 2.46 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Lawson ranked second in the AHL in save percentage in both 2008-09 (.927) and in 2009-10 (.922), and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2008-09.
Lawson originally joined the Islanders as a free agent on Mar. 2, 2008.
