Cory Clouston is 19-10-3 as head coach of the Senators. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press)

Ottawa Senators head coach Cory Clouston can rest easy and begin preparations for next season with confidence after agreeing to a two-year contract extension Wednesday.

Clouston, who took over from the fired Craig Hartsburg on Feb. 2, has signed through 2010-2011 NHL season.

The Senators, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1996, have a 19-10-3 record under Clouston, who previously coached the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton, N.Y.

"I just wanted the opportunity to continue what we started here," Clouston said. "I think the biggest thing that I'm looking forward to, and it's a long way away from now, is getting the next season started.

"How we're playing right now gives us a lot of optimism."

Ottawa will enter Thursday's game in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with a 36-34-10 overall mark.

"Cory's come in and done a remarkable job really," Senators general manager Bryan Murray said during a news conference at Scotiabank Place, where Ottawa plays its final home game Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils. "He's made [the players] accountable.

"We're watching a team now that will make it very entertaining for the fans and maybe even give [the media] something nice to write about once in a while."

Home win streak at 9 games

On Tuesday, the Senators defeated conference-leading Boston to run their franchise-record home-ice win streak to nine games.

"That's a credit to the players," Clouston said. "They're a good group of guys, they work hard, and they want to win."

Clouston, who hails from Viking, Alta., is the fourth coach to stand behind the club's bench since the Senators reached the 2007 Stanley Cup final against Anaheim,

Last year, Ottawa dumped John Paddock on Feb. 27 and Murray took over to finish the season.

Hartsburg was hired last June and given a three-year contract. He left with the Senators 13th in the East and 14 points out of a playoff spot.

The 39-year-old Clouston went 25-16-6 with the Baby Senators earlier this season before arriving in Ottawa.

He described himself as anything but a players' coach, but the Senators have embraced his arrival and hailed Wednesday's announcement.

"I don't think it comes as a surprise to us as players," captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "He's done a great job turning things around for us and putting us on the right path.

"He's brought a lot of energy and the system that he's put in play has worked real well for us for the group that we have. It makes perfect sense to sign him up."

Clouston cut teeth with Ice

In 2007, Clouston left the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League to become head coach at Binghamton.

After playing four years with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, Clouston began his coaching career in junior hockey in 1994 as an assistant with the Powell River Paper Kings of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.

From there, he compiled a .627 winning percentage in his four-year stay in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with Grand Prairie. In 1996, he was named the league's top coach.

Clouston was an assistant to Ryan McGill for two years in Kootenay — winning the Memorial Cup in 2002 — before taking over that summer. In five seasons as head coach, his teams made the playoffs each year and boasted a .637 winning percentage with 209 wins, 110 losses, 24 overtime losses and 15 shootout defeats.

Along the way, Clouston twice was named WHL coach of the year (2005, 2007) and took home Canadian Hockey League coach of the year honours in 2005 after the Ice fashioned a 47-15-10 mark.

In related news, Senators owner Eugene Melnyk confirmed Tuesday that Murray would be retained and will be given permission to spend up to the salary cap in an effort to return the team to the playoffs.

"There's no question he'll be back next year. Bryan's done a great job," Melnyk said. "The way you judge a good GM is the way he recognizes a problem and acts on it."