Ottawa Senators Add Depth by Signing Brendan Bell and Mitchell O'Keefe

Two bulletins were posted by OttawaSenators.com, stating defenseman Brendan Bell and goaltender Mitchell O'Keefe are now a part of the Senators organization. Both players were signed to one-year, two-way deals.

Albeit, these moves don't affect the makeup of the team, but they do add depth to a depleted development system. With the exception of Ilja Zubov, Alexander Nikulin, and Josh Hennessy, there are virtually no forwards who can step into the lineup in place of an injured Ottawa Senator.

Here's a look at the two players at a glance:

D Brendan Bell

The Ottawa native is joining the third team of his young career. Spending four seasons with the Ottawa 67s of the OHL, he registered 32-139-171 in 238 total games. During his last year of junior hockey he was named to the Canadian Hockey League First All-Star team, and was the defenseman of the year across the country.

Bell, 25, was drafted 65th overall in the 2001 Entry Draft by the rival Toronto Maple Leafs. After playing in one game with the Leafs in 2005-06, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes. In 48 career games, he has scored one goal and added six assists for seven points. He has also registered 27 penalty minutes.

G Mitchell O'Keefe

Standing at 6'2" and tipping the scale at 229 lbs, the Ottawa Senators have added a big goalie to the farm system. O'Keefe is an undrafted player who has played the last three seasons with Ferris State of the CCHA (NCAA). During his tenure at the university he boasted 31 wins, a 2.68 GAA, and six shutouts.

At the end of the 2007-08 season, O'Keefe jumped on board with the Iowa Stars of the AHL. He appeared in two games and finished with 0-1-0 record. This is the first pro contract that O'Keefe has signed in his hockey career.

All information is from OttawaSenators.com and HockeyDB.com