The Ottawa Senators announced this week that the club has signed five players to one-year, two-way National Hockey League contracts. Two-way contracts mean players can move freely between the NHL and American Hockey League and could suit up for either the Belleville Sens, or Ottawa Senators, over the course of the season.
Included in the latest batch of signings are Belleville’s 2021-22 leading scorer Jake Lucchini and forward Scott Sabourin, while newcomer defencemen Kristians Rubins and Jacob Larsson, and goaltender Antoine Bibeau, also inked new deals this week.
Detailed releases on each of those players can be found below:
Jake Lucchini – Forward
The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that the team had signed forward Jake Lucchini to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $750K and $130,000 in the American Hockey League.
Lucchini, 27, joined the Belleville Senators after being acquired from the Laval Rocket just prior to the start of the 2021-22 campaign, a season in which he set professional career bests in goals (20), assists (31) and points (51) to lead the AHL Sens in overall scoring. He was also the only player to skate in all 72 regular season games. The skilled forward would dress in both of Belleville’s Calder Cup playoff games, earning one assist.
“He’s an important piece to have,” said Belleville Sens General Manager Ryan Bowness. “I have a history with him from my time in Pittsburgh, so I know him as a player, and he has steadily improved from those days. He was really good here in Belleville last year, so that was a priority to get done.”
Before turning pro, the Trail BC native spent four years at Michigan Tech University, where he captained the Huskies in 2018-19 and won back-to-back WCHA Conference championships. He was initially signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Scott Sabourin – Forward
The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that the team had signed forward Scott Sabourin to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $750K and $375,000 in the American Hockey League.
Sabourin 29, skated in 40 games last season with the Belleville Senators, collecting five goals, 12 assists and 75 penalty minutes. The physical forward also saw time in the Nation’s Capital dressing in seven games for the NHL Senators, adding two assists.
“He’s very well thought of in the organization and even with me, coming in from an outsiders perspective, I have a lot of respect for the way he plays and the job he does from a leadership standpoint,” said Belleville Sens General Manager Ryan Bowness. “He’s also very defensively responsible and was a big piece of our leadership corps that we wanted to get locked up.”
The Ottawa, Ontario native boasts an extensive AHL resume having appeared in 354 career games with Manchester, Iowa, Ontario, San Diego, Stockton, Toronto, and Belleville, in which he has recorded 44 goals, 52 assists and 743 penalty minutes. Sabourin has played in 43 career games at the NHL level between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, recording two goals, six assists and 49 penalty minutes.
Kristians Rubins – Defence
The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that the team had signed defenceman Kristians Rubins to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $750K and $130,000 in the American Hockey League.
Rubins, 24, skated in 58 games for the Toronto Marlies during the 2021-22 campaign, tallying one goal, ten assists, and 24 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound left-shot blueliner also appeared with the Toronto Maple Leafs three times, making his NHL debut on December 7th, 2021, versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“He’s obviously is a big body, with good size and a strong defensive presence,” said Belleville Sens General Manager Ryan Bowness. “I really like the consistency in they way he utilizes his body and his stick to defend. I think he’ll be a vital piece in Belleville, where we’ve got some gifted offensive defenceman, so I think he can be a good compliment for those guys.”
The native of Riga, Latvia joins the Senators organization with a wealth of AHL experience that totals 142 games with four goals, 27 assists to his credit. Prior to joining the Marlies full-time the physical rearguard helped their ECHL affiliate, Newfoundland Growlers to a Kelly Cup title during the 2018-2019 season. Rubins has also been a consistent mainstay for Team Latvia on the international stage, most recently at the 2022 IIHF World Championship.
Jacob Larsson – Defence
The Ottawa Senators announced on Thursday that the team had signed defenceman Jacob Larsson to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League contract extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $750K and $300,000 in the American Hockey League.
Larsson 25, skated in 55 games last season with the San Diego Gulls, collecting two goals, 13 assists and 41 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound two-way rearguard also saw time in the NHL during the 2021-22 campaign skating in six games for the Anaheim Ducks, while adding an assist.
“I’m excited about Larsson,” said Belleville Sens General Manager Ryan Bowness. “I’ve seen him play quite a bit, both in Anaheim and San Diego the last couple of years. He’s just another good all-around guy, he’s good in all aspects of the game and he’s experienced in terms of his NHL minutes. He’s excited to come to Belleville and hopefully rediscover what got him chosen as a first-round draft pick, and he can be positive contributor on our left side.”
Prior to making the jump to North American pro, the Ljungby, Sweden native helped lead Frolunda to the Swedish Hockey League championship in 2015-16 and back-to-back Champions Hockey League titles (2016,17). In parts of five seasons with the Anaheim, Larsson dressed in 165 games, registering three goals and 21 assists. After being selected by the Ducks in the first round (27th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The skilled blueliner also has 136 career AHL games to his credit, tallying 40 points
Antoine Bibeau – Goaltender
The Ottawa Senators announced on Thursday that the team had signed goaltender Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way National Hockey League contract worth an average annual value (AAV) of $750K and $100,000 in the American Hockey League.
Bibeau, 28, made ten appearances last season with the Charlotte Checkers posting 2.48 goals against average and .905 save percentage at the AHL level. The veteran netminder also saw time in ECHL dressing in 14 games for the Allen Americans where he recorded a 2.79 GAA and .923 SV%.
“We’ve some young goalies in Belleville, so this will give us a little bit more depth at that position,” said Belleville Sens General Manager Ryan Bowness. “We’ve got a good stable of goalies and he’ll be able to compliment them. He’ll maybe come into a bit of a mentorship role, but he’s still a really good goalie at this level.”
The Victoriaville, Quebec brings 202 games of AHL experience to Senators’ organization, posting a career record of
104-65-23-6 with a 2.72 GAA and .908 SV% in nine AHL seasons with the Toronto, San Jose, Colorado, Chicago, and Charlotte. He has also made four career NHL appearances between Toronto and Colorado.
