The Ottawa Senators, parent club of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, have acquired defenseman Drew Fata from the Phoenix Coyotes, parent club of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, in exchange for forward Alexander Nikulin.
Nikulin, 23, was Ottawa’s fourth-round pick, 122nd overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-1, 203-pound center recorded two goals and a minus-one rating in five games with the Binghamton Senators this season. Nikulin (right) scored 50 points (14-36) in 71 games with the B-Sens as a rookie last season and also made his NHL debut with Ottawa, scoring no points in two games.
Fata, 25, has played in seven games this season with Phoenix’s American Hockey League affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, where he has recorded no points and six penalty minutes. He signed with Phoenix as a free agent on July 2.
The 6-1, 220-pound Fata split the 2007-08 campaign between the New York Islanders and their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 71 games with the Sound Tigers, he scored three goals and added 11 assists, while recording 197 penalty minutes. He also played in a career-high five games with the Islanders, recording one assist and four penalty minutes.
A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Fata shows nine goals, 33 assists and 600 penalty minutes in 225 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Bridgeport, and San Antonio. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with their third-round pick (86th overall) in 2001, Fata is expected to join the Binghamton Senators roster for their next game when they host the Syracuse Crunch on Friday.
