Arizona Coyotes sign Derek Smith, Eric Selleck to pair of one-year contracts
Jul 3, 2015, 3:53 PM | Updated: 3:53 pm
NBA free agency isn’t the only thing heating up this July. NHL free agency is also well underway, as the Arizona Coyotes have been active in the marketplace signing centers Brad Richardson and Antoine Vermette, defensemen Zbynek Michalek and Alex Grant, forward Steve Downie and backup goalie Anders Lindback.
On Friday, the ‘Yotes added to their growing list of free agent signees, inking forward Eric Selleck and defenseman Derek Smith to a pair of one-year deals.
In 74 games with the Portland Pirates of the AHL last season, the 6-foot-2, 208-pound Selleck scored eight goals and dished out 15 assists, collecting 185 penalty minutes along the way. In fact, Selleck has bit of a reputation for finding the penalty box, as the 27-year-old native of Brockville, Ontario has accumulated 180 penalty minutes or more in a season on four separate occasions during his minor league career.
In 2012-13, Selleck had a brief two-game stint with the Florida Panthers, tallying one assist and 17 minutes.
With Smith, the Coyotes add depth offensively. In 25 games with Zurich of the Swiss League last season, the 30-year-old Smith scored three goals to go along with two assists.
A native of Belleville, Ontario, Smith has appeared in a combined 94 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames. In a career-high 47 games with the Flames during the 2011-12 season, Smith netted two goals and assisted on nine others.
