The Ottawa Senators, parent club of the AHL’s Binghamton Senators, announced on Tuesday the signing of four players to contracts. The club signed 2005 first-round pick Brian Lee to an entry level contact, while agreeing to two-year deals with forwards Danny Bois and Jim McKenzie, and a one-year deal with defenseman Matt Carkner.
Lee, 21, was Ottawa’s first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2005 entry draft. The native of Fargo, N.D., recently completed his second season at the University of North Dakota, where he set career highs in assists (24), points (26) and penalty minutes (69).
Bois, 24, spent the 2006-07 season with the Binghamton Senators, scoring 14 goals and adding 13 assists while leading the team with 153 penalty minutes. The Thunder Bay, Ont., native made his National Hockey League debut during the 2006-07 season with Ottawa, playing in one game and recording seven penalty minutes. He has 34 goals, 34 assists and 666 PIM in 216 career AHL games with Binghamton.
McKenzie, 23, was a fifth-round draft pick (141st overall) by Ottawa in the 2004 entry draft. The St. Paul, Minn., native spent the last three seasons at Michigan State University, and set career highs in goals (12), assists (18) and points (30) in 2006-07.
Carkner, 26, signs with the Senators after spending last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In 75 games with the AHL Penguins, he scored six goals and added 24 assist for 30 points while recording 167 penalty minutes. He captured the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award as the AHL’s Man of the Year for his outstanding community work last season. The Winchester, Ont., native was Montreal’s second-round draft choice (58th overall) in the 1999 entry draft, and has registered 19 goals, 72 assists and 1,115 PIM in 390 career AHL contests.
