Saturday, September 17, 2005 

SENATORS SIGN CHARLIE STEPHENS AND JOE CULLEN

Centres ink one-year contracts

OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators today announced they have signed centres Charlie Stephens and Joe Cullen to one-year contracts respectively.

Stephens, 25, spent the 2004-05 season with Ottawa's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, where he recorded seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points in 80 games after being acquired from Colorado in exchange for Dennis Bonvie on January 23, 2004.

The Nilestown, Ontario native saw his first NHL action with the Colorado Avalanche during the 2002-03 season, playing in two games on a recall from Hershey (AHL). He also played another six games in 2003-04, and has recorded two assists through his eight career NHL games.

Stephens, originally Washington's third-round pick, 31^st overall, in 1999, re-entered the draft and was Colorado's sixth-round pick, 196^th overall, in 2001.

Cullen split the 2004-05 season between the newly relocated Edmonton Roadrunners (AHL) and the San Antonio Rampage. He recorded 12 points (three goals, nine assists) with the Roadrunners and another six points (3-3) with the Rampage after a January 2 trade.

The 25-year-old played 52 games with the U.S. Junior National Team where he recorded 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 1998-99. The Moorehead, Minn. native had 41 goals and 45 assists for 86 points and played 148 games in four years with Colorado College from 1998-99 to 2002-03.

Cullen was Edmonton's seventh-round pick, 211^th overall, in the NHL 2000 Entry Draft.

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