Ottawa Senators sign defenseman Djibril Touré to entry-level contract

The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Djibril Touré to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Thursday afternoon.

Touré, 20, is a 6’7″ left-handed defender who collected five goals, 16 points, and 91 penalty minutes in 57 games with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves during the 2022–23 regular season. He added an assist and 12 PIMs in four playoff games with the team.

“Djibril’s growth over the last two years has been remarkable,” Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said in a release on Thursday. “He’s come a long way, from playing in the CCHL as recently as two seasons ago, to earn this contract. He’s a rangy defender who skates well and who has shown consistent improvement in his game.”

The Senators had invited Touré to participate in their rookie camp and prospect tournament games on an amateur tryout agreement. He’ll now enter the Senators’ main camp on his new standard player contract.

Before joining OHL Sudbury, Touré spent the 2021–22 season playing Jr. A hockey in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL). In the regular season, Touré collected two goals and 14 points in 45 games split between the Carleton Place Canadians and Hawkesbury Hawks; he added five assists in 15 playoff contests with Hawkesbury.

At his age, Touré is eligible to play in either the OHL, AHL, or NHL next season. The Dorval, Quebec product joins a loaded Senators defense prospect pool that also includes Tyler Kleven, Lassi Thomson, Tomas Hamara, Jorian Donovan, Maxence Guenette, and Nikolas Matinpalo.

Touré is the second player to sign a contract with the Senators in the last two days, following RFA forward Egor Sokolov. The Senators still have RFA forward Shane Pinto to deal with before the start of the 2023–24 season, which is set to kick off for Ottawa against the Carolina Hurricanes on October 10.