The Senators have taken care of one of their pending restricted free agents with an early contract. The team announced that they’ve re-signed forward Angus Crookshank to a one-year, two-way agreement. The deal pays $775K in the NHL and $120K in the minors. GM Steve Staios released the following statement on the signing:
Angus has established himself as a reliable point producer in Belleville. He’s a strong competitor and a proven goal scorer who doesn’t back down, especially when it comes to getting to the opponent’s net. We’re pleased with his progress and expect further improvement from him next season.
The 24-year-old played on the final year of his entry-level deal in 2023-24, spending most of it in the minors with AHL Belleville. With them, as Staios alluded to, Crookshank was quite reliable offensively, posting 24 goals and 22 assists in just 50 games. That performance helped earn him his first NHL opportunity as he got into 13 games with Ottawa where he picked up two goals and an assist while logging just over 10 minutes a night.
Crookshank still has a year of waiver exemption remaining, something that doesn’t happen too frequently for players exiting a three-year rookie deal. That means he’s likely earmarked to start with Belleville once again in 2024-25 but if he can produce at a similar level next season, he should be one of Ottawa’s first recalls when injuries strike.
You have to have some questionable ancestry with a name like crookshank.
Hope his hockey nickname is something like T Bone, Sizzler, or Steaky.
The Crookie Monster
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