The Syracuse Crunch announced today that the Columbus Blue Jackets have signed right wing Brandon Sugden to a one-year, two-way contract with a one-year club option.

Sugden, 25, has spent the 2003-04 season with the Crunch. In 62 regular season games with Syracuse, he collected 3 goals, 5 assists and a team-leading 283 penalty minutes. Among AHL leaders in penalty minutes, he topped the league with 41 major penalties this season. Toronto’s fifth pick, 11th overall, in the 1996 Entry Draft, Sugden played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League and recorded 14 goals, 45 assists and 745 penalty minutes in 166 games with London, Sudbury and Barrie from 1995-98. He then spent most of his first four pro seasons playing in the East Coast Hockey League and appeared in 11 AHL games with Worcester (2000-01) recording 56 penalty minutes.

Syracuse travels to Rochester for Game Three (Wednesday, April 21) and Game Four (Friday, April 23) before returning home for Game Five (Sunday, April 25). Tickets for Game Five (ticket C) can be purchased by calling the Crunch office at (315) 473-4444, stopping by the Oncenter box office located on the State Street of the War Memorial or by calling TicketMaster at (315) 472-0700.