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The Montreal Canadiens have signed defenseman Morgan Ellis to a three-year entry level contract.
The full release from the Canadiens can be read here.
The 19-year-old rearguard has 21 points in 20 games with the Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) and is plus-21, since being acquired from Cape Breton at the end of December. Overall this season, he has 13 goals and 33 assists in 54 games in the Q.
Ellis just made the cut in our August Top 25 Under 25 and was recently ranked 12th best Canadiens Prospect, by Hockey's Future, last month. He is fifth among QMJHL rearguards in scoring.
Ellis is also on Twitter for those who want to follow his progress.
Just signed my first NHL contract with the Montreal Canadiens! #beyondhappy A lot of ppl to thank for this one! #thankyou
— Morgan Ellis (@MorganEllis4) March 1, 2012
With the contract not going into effect until the 2012-13 season, fans will get a great chance to get an idea what he is all about this spring. The Cataractes are the host team for the 2012 Mastercard Memorial Cup, which guarantees them a spot regardless of how the playoffs pan out.
Earlier this season, the Canadiens signed Jarred Tinordi to an ELC, so it's the Habs future on the blue line got a lot brighter today.