Lightning sign LW Koci, C Smith

Jul 4, 2008 - 12:26 AM TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday signed rugged left wing David Koci and center Wyatt Smith to one-year contracts.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

One of the bigger players in the NHL, the 6-6, 238-pound Koci joins the Lightning after splitting last season with the Chicago Blackhawks and the American Hockey League's Norfolk Admirals and Rockford IceDogs.

Koci played in only 18 contests for the Blackhawks but logged 68 minutes in penalties, an average of just under four per game. The 27-year-old Czech finished the season with the Admirals, registering two assists and 57 penalty minutes in 21 contests.

Selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the fifth round of the 2000 draft, Koci made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks during the 2006-07 season.

Smith, 31, played in 25 games with the Colorado Avalanche last season, recording three assists. He added 17 goals and 35 points in 40 contests for Lake Erie of the AHL.

A ninth-round pick of St. Louis in 1997, Smith has collected 10 goals and 22 assists in 211 career games with the Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild and Avalanche.