The Ottawa Senators, parent club of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, announced today the signing of defenseman Brendan Bell to a one-year, two-way contract.
Bell spent most of last season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage. In 69 games with the Rampage, he scored seven goals and added 24 assists for 31 points – finishing second in scoring among team defensemen – while recording 80 penalty minutes. He also played two games for the parent Phoenix Coyotes and was held scoreless.
The Ottawa, Ont., native has 26 goals, 104 assists and 308 penalty minutes in 288 AHL games with St. John’s, Toronto, and San Antonio.
The 25-year-old was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ third-round choice (65th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut in 2005-06 with Toronto, playing in one game with the Maple Leafs. In 48 career NHL games with Toronto and Phoenix, Bell has scored one goal and added six assists while recording 27 penalty minutes.
The defenseman has represented Canada internationally on two occasions, winning a gold medal at the 2003-04 Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, and winning a silver medal at the 2002 world junior championships in Halifax.
Bell enjoyed a decorated junior hockey career with the Ottawa 67’s, scoring 171 points (32-139-171) in 238 games over four seasons. In his final year with the 67’s in 2002-03, he was named to the Canadian Hockey League’s first all-star team and won the CHL defenseman of the year award.
