The Avalanche announced on Tuesday that the team has signed forward Mark Olver to an entry-level contract. Olver will report to Colorado?s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Olver ust completed his junior season at Northern Michigan University (CCHA), where he was named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey?s player of the year. The Burnaby, B.C., native led the Wildcats with 49 points in 40 games in helping Northern Michigan advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999. Olver finished as the CCHA?s scoring champion with 35 points in 27 league games and was named to the CCHA All-Conference First Team. ?Mark had a very productive career at Northern Michigan and we look forward to having him make his professional debut with the Lake Erie Monsters,? said Avalanche GM Greg Sherman. Colorado?s fourth selection (fifth round, 140th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Olver led Northern Michigan in scoring during each of his three seasons at the school.

The Stars have signed former Yale forward Sean Backman to a one-year deal, according to an Associated Press report. Backman was a three-time all-Ivy League choice at Yale, where he was second on the team and 13th nationally with 21 goals last season. He scored 126 points in 122 games during his four-year Yale career. Backman led Yale in scoring his first two seasons.

The Maple Leafs have signed Vermont forward Brayden Irwin to a two-year contract, according to an Associated Press report. Irwin led the Catamounts with 34 points and helped the team earn a second straight bid to the NCAA tournament.

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has signed a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2013-14 season, according to an Associated Press report. The deal announced Tuesday prevents him from becoming a restricted free agent.

Rangers President and GM Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent goaltender Cameron Talbot. Talbot, 22, was named the 2010 College Hockey America (CHA) tournament MVP and selected to the CHA All Tournament Team after backstopping the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers to their second CHA tournament championship. Talbot appeared in 33 games with the Chargers this past season, posting a 12-18-3 record, along with a 2.60 goals against average, a .925 save percentage and one shutout. His .925 save percentage led all CHA goaltenders and tied for sixth overall in the NCAA, while he ranked second in the conference in wins and goals against average. He recorded a 29-save shutout against Robert Morris in the first round of the CHA conference tournament on March 12, his second career collegiate shutout. Talbot registered five 40-plus save performances this season, including a season-high 46 saves in a 2-2 tie on December 4 at Robert Morris. The 6-3, 185-pounder appeared in 70 career games with the Chargers, posting a record of 15-44-6, along with a 3.10 goals against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts. Talbot registered his first collegiate shutout with a 33-save effort in a 1-0 win at Yale on November 21, 2008. Prior to making his collegiate debut in 2007-08, he appeared in 82 OJHL games with the Hamilton Red Wings, registering a 40-18-0 record with a 2.38 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.

Coyotes GM Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-signed forward Paul Bissonnette to a two-year contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed. ?We are very pleased to sign Paul to a new contract,? said Maloney. ?He is a tough, hard-working player who has contributed to our team in a variety of ways this season.? Bissonnette, 25, has appeared in 40 games with the Coyotes this season, recording 3-2-5 and a team-leading 112 penalty minutes. He has set career-highs in goals, assists, points, PIM and games played this season, his second in the NHL and first with the Coyotes.

The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the club has signed a multi-year affiliation agreement with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL) beginning in the 2010-11 season. ?We are thrilled to be affiliating with the Syracuse Crunch in such a great hockey market,? said Ducks Executive Vice President/GM Bob Murray. ?Syracuse is steeped in hockey tradition and we are excited to partner with an ownership and management team that shares the same commitment to winning and player development as we do.? The Ducks return to the AHL following a one-year absence in 2009-10. Since 2005-06, Anaheim?s AHL affiliate has combined for a 168-109-17-26 record in 320 games. From 2005-08, Anaheim was affiliated with the Portland Pirates, who reached Game 7 of the AHL Eastern Conference Finals in two of three seasons (2006 & 2008). The Ducks spent the 2008-09 season affiliated with the Iowa Chops, who posted a 33-33-4-10 record.

The Bruins have signed defenseman Andrew Ference to a $6.75M, three-year contract extension that would run through the 2013-14 season. The 31-year-old Ference has 24 goals and 117 assists and 141 points in 10 NHL seasons. He has eight assists this season, his fourth with the Bruins.

The Ducks announced Tuesday that the club has signed center Rob Bordson to a two-year entry-level contract. Per club policy, no terms of the deal were disclosed. Bordson appeared in 40 games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in 2009-10, scoring 12-28=40 points with 18 penalty minutes. Bordson ranked sixth among Western Collegiate Hockey Association leaders in assists and third in power play points (6-17=23). He also finished second on UMD in assists, tied for third in scoring and fourth in goals as one of seven Bulldogs to appear in all 40 UMD games. Following the season, Bordson was named Inside College Hockey?s Breakthrough Player of the Year in the WCHA. Bordson played three WCHA seasons with the Bulldogs, collecting 13-34=47 points with 30 PIM in 82 games. The center?s 40-point gain from his sophomore to junior seasons represented the second largest one-year scoring improvement of any UMD player in 17 seasons. Prior to joining UMD, Bordson spent the 2006-07 season with Cedar Rapids of the United States Hockey League.

The Avalanche announced on Tuesday that the team has signed free-agent forward Zach Cohen to an entry-level contract. Cohen will report to Colorado?s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters. Cohen, 23, just completed his senior season at Boston University (Hockey East), tallying 25 points in 38 games. He led the Terriers in goals and finished sixth on the team in points. ?Zach is a player who will add depth to our system as we move into the future,? said Avalanche GM Greg Sherman. ?We are pleased to have him join our organization.? The 6-foot-3, 208-pound winger was a member of Boston University?s 2009 NCAA championship team, scoring a goal in the NCAA title game against Miami (Ohio). He finished his collegiate career with 52 points in 130 career games.