Senators ink former first-round pick to one-year contract extension

The 23-year-old registered two goals and 16 assists for a career-high 18 points in 74 games this past season with the Sens while averaging 16:07 of ice time which was good for fourth among Sens defenders. He picked up 103 blocked shots and 49 hits.

Before getting a full-time gig in Ottawa this past season, he has spent the last three seasons up and down between the NHL and playing for the Senators American Hockey League affiliate, the Belleville Senators. He notched 14 points in 53 games during the 2021-22 campaign after collecting 13 points in 30 games the season prior, where he spent time in the Swiss National League and the AHL.

Initially drafted 15th overall by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Draft, Brannstrom was dealt to the nation’s capital as the Senators traded away future Golden Knights captain Mark Stone. Brannstrom made his pro debut in 2018-19 with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL following a successful campaign in Sweden which saw him collect 15 points in 44 SHL games with HV71.

During his first AHL season and the first season of hockey in North America, Brannstrom adapted quickly and registered 28 points in 41 games. He was named to the AHL All-Star Game. That same season, he led the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in goals for a defenseman, scoring four in five games.

The Eksjo, Sweden product has appeared in 190 NHL games, collecting four goals and 45 assists for 49 points. Meanwhile, he has collected 11 goals and 52 assists for 63 points in 90 career games in the AHL.