Sens sign Curtis Lazar to entry-level deal

Ottawa Senators first-round pick Curtis Lazar has been held out of training camp up to this point due to an upper-body injury, but today brought a clear sign that he may soon be ready for action.

The club announced Tuesday that Lazar, the 17th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, had signed to a three-year entry-level contras. Further terms of the deal were not disclosed. He is the first member of the Senators’ 2013 draft class to sign his entry-level deal. The 18-year-old will either stick with the team or return to his junior team, the Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League, this season.

Lazar is coming off a breakout season in Edmonton. The Salmon Arm, British Columbia native led the team in goals with 38 and finished with 61 points in 72 games. Listed as a center, Lazar also amassed 47 penalty minutes and has drawn comparisons to Milan Lucic for their ability to combine a scoring touch with a tough, fistic game.

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