OTTAWA - Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today that the club has signed forward Mika Zibanejad to a three-year entry-level contract.

Zibanejad, 18, was the Senators’ first-round pick (sixth overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, which was recently held in St. Paul, Minn. A native of Huddinge, Sweden, Zibanejad competed in his first season of professional hockey with Djurgardens of the Swedish Elite League in 2010-11, recording nine points (five goals, four assists) in 26 games. He also appeared in 27 contests with Djurgardens Jr. team, registering 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) and 12 penalty minutes.

The 6-2, 200-pound centre earned a silver medal with Team Sweden at the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championship, which was held in Riga, Latvia. He appeared in six games and served as an alternate captain for Sweden while tying for the team lead in scoring with eight points (four goals, four assists).

Zibanejad recently participated in his first Senators development camp, which was held from June 28 to July 4.