BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward C.J. Smith to a two-year contract after he completed his junior season at UMass-Lowell.
Smith finished tied for eighth in the NCAA with 23 goals and 12th with 51 points this past year. He earned Hockey East Tournament MVP honours after scoring four goals and four assists in five games.
Smith joined the Sabres for practice on Thursday and will have a chance to make his NHL debut Sunday when Buffalo hosts the New York Islanders.
Overall, the player from Des Moines, Iowa, had 56 goals and 69 assists in 120 college games.
Buffalo also assigned defenceman Brady Austin to the minors. He was called up last week to fill in for Rasmus Ristolainen, who served a three-game suspension for a blindside hit.
