The Canadiens have signed Hamilton goaltender Cedrick Desjardins and forward Ryan Russell to one year contracts. Both are two-way contracts.   The NHL side of the two-way contract calls for $550 thousand dollars.

Desjardins, 24, led all AHL goaltenders in 2009-10 with a 2.00 goals-against average in 47 games. He posted a 29-9-4 record, finishing fourth in the league in wins, second in shutouts (6) and sixth with a .919 save percentage.

Desjardins helped the Bulldogs reach the AHL Western Conference Finals, while posting a 6-4-0 record in 10 playoff games. He played in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2010 and was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. His 29 wins set a franchise record for the most in a season by a Bulldogs goaltender. He also set a franchise record with the longest shutout streak by a Bulldogs goaltender (212:37 mins).

The 6-foot, 194-pound goaltender played 92 career regular season games with the Bulldogs. He posted a 41-26-6 record along with 10 shutouts. Desjardins won the Kelly Cup with the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones in 2007-08 (Playoff MVP), and the Memorial Cup with the Quebec Remparts in 2006.

A native of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Desjardins joined the Canadiens as a free agent on July 3, 2008.

Russell, 23, played in 74 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2009-10. He finished sixth on the team with 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists), and led the team with three shorthanded goals. Russell also maintained a plus-16 differential, added 149 shots on goal and served eight penalty minutes. He added 12 points (7-5-12) in 19 playoff games, while posting a plus-5 differential.

The 5-foot-10, 174-pound center has totaled 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 178 career regular season games in the AHL with Hamilton. Russell also played 12 games in 2007-08 with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, collecting 10 points (6-4-10) and contributing to the Cyclones’ Kelly Cup Championship that year.

A native of Caroline, Alberta, Russell was selected in the seventh round, 211th overall by the New York Rangersat the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by the Canadiens in a transaction with the Rangers on May 31, 2007.