OTTAWA - Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today that the club has signed centre Zack Smith to a four-year contract extension through the 2016-17 NHL season.

Smith, 24, appeared in all but one of the Senators’ 82 regular-season games in 2011-12, establishing new statistical career highs in goals (14), assists (12), points (26) and plus/minus (+4) while accumulating 98 penalty minutes. He recorded one assist (on Chris Neil’s overtime-winning goal in Game 2 of the club’s Eastern Conference quarter-final series) during seven post-season contests against the New York Rangers.

A native of Maple Creek, Sask., Smith has never missed a game due to injury in his NHL career, playing all 152 of his career NHL contests with the Senators, during which he has registered 38 points (20 goals, 18 assists) and 232 penalty minutes for the club.

Smith was Ottawa’s third-round pick (79th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

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