OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators today signed defenceman Craig Schira of the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants to a three-year entry level contract.

Schira, 20, is in his second season with the Giants and fifth in the WHL. In 66 games this season, the Spiritwood, Sask., native has recorded career season highs with 16 goals and 39 assists. He also has 44 penalty minutes and a +44 rating.

The 6-foot, 196-pound right-handed Schira is fifth among defencemen in league scoring and third on the Western Conference’s first-place team. Schira has 14 multi-point games on the season, including a pair of two-goal games.

In five full WHL seasons, Schira has 33 goals, 120 assists and 275 penalty minutes in 335 regular season games. He played in two games for the Regina Pats in 2003-04 and then went on to play the next three seasons with the team. Two games into the 2007-08 season, he was traded to the Vancouver Giants. In post-season action with the Pats and Giants, he has one goal, two assists and six penalty minutes over 26 games.

Schira, who has not been drafted, had a free-agent tryout with the Los Angeles Kings in September 2006.