OTTAWA - The Ottawa Senators ( @Senators ) announced today that they have signed a two-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL’s Evansville IceMen. Evansville will now serve as Ottawa’s secondary affiliate and will be the primary affiliate of the American Hockey League’s Binghamton Senators.

“Having strong affiliates is vital to building a great feeder system to the National Hockey League,” said Bryan Murray, Ottawa Senators general manager. “This agreement with Evansville provides a terrific avenue for the growth and development of our players who are working to get their shot at the National Hockey League.”

“We are very happy to begin this relationship with the IceMen,” said Randy Lee, the Senators’ assistant general manager. “From the first moment we met with the Evansville group, we were impressed by the professionalism of their entire organization. We place great importance on the development of our players and know that this management group, along with the fantastic facility, will be a great step up for the players in our organization.

Playing out of Ford Center, this will be the third ECHL season for the IceMen, who played the two previous seasons in the Central Hockey League. The team is coached by Dwight Mullins, who will begin his first season behind the IceMen bench when they open their 2014-15 regular-season schedule on Saturday, Oct. 18, at home against Gwinnett at 7:15 p.m.

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