P-Bruins journal: Weller looks like a good fit
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October 2009 ArchivesOctober 31
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Craig Weller wasn't caught completely by surprise when he got the call two Sundays ago that he'd been dealt to Boston in the Chuck Kobasew trade. "The management in Minnesota told me when they put me on waivers (late in training camp) that they might try to move me, give me an opportunity somewhere else. It just happened a little quicker than I thought it would,'' said Weller. For a player who is looking for another chance in the NHL, the Boston organization might turn out to be a good fit. The Bruins haven't hesitated over the last few seasons to find a place for veteran role players such as Shawn Thornton and Jeremy Reich. "That's encouraging to see. I'm just going to have to work hard and prove myself. I'm definitely going to try to make it back to the NHL,'' said Weller, a right wing who has 4-10-14 career numbers with 127 penalty minutes in 95 NHL games with Phoenix and Minnesota. Weller spent four seasons with Hartford before moving up to the NHL. At the time of the trade, he was with Minnesota's AHL affiliate in Houston. The 28-year-old brings size -- he's 6'4'', 220 pounds -- and physical presence. He knows what is expected of him. "My role is to be a veteran guy playing with poise every night, somebody the coach can rely on in a bunch of different situations. To show leadership through hard work,'' he said. Providence coach Rob Murray is glad to have him. Last weekend, Murray put Weller on a crash line with Drew Larman and Lane MacDermid, and the trio was Providence's best line last Saturday in a 2-0 loss at Manchester. "I know what to expect from him. He's an intelligent guy, he understands. He asks the right questions. That's probably one of the reasons he was captain in Hartford for a few years. His skating has improved from what I remember. He gets around better. And when he hits, he really catches guys,'' said Murray. Fighting is also part of Weller's game. He had seven fighting majors in the NHL last season, and 13 fights in both 2004-05 and 2005-06 while with Hartford. According to Murray, Weller knows "when to try and change the momentum of a game. He'll go out purposely and try to do that by getting in a fight. That speaks to his hockey IQ, because some guys don't pick up on that, when the right time is to do that kind of thing.'' For the P-Bruins, Friday night's 2-1 defeat in Manchester on a penalty shot by Oscar Moller with 1:51 to go in regulation definitely left a mark. Murray said that the call by referee Chris Cozzan -- Adam McQuaid tripped Moller, who had a breakaway -- probably was legitimate. But that didn't make it any easier to swallow. Penalty shots have become "the flavor of the month for referees'' over the past couple of seasons, Murray said. Murray conceded, though, that "if the situation is flip-flopped, we'd be expecting a penalty shot.''
October 30
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Former Harvard captain Jimmy Fraser has been recalled from Reading and will be in the P-Bruins lineup tonight in Manchester. Fraser, 22, was a late cut in Providence's training camp. Not known as a scorer, the 5'11'', 185-pound center had 15-39-54 totals in 118 career games at Harvard. "I'm not necessarily looking for him to contribute offensively very much,'' said coach Rob Murray. "That's not necessarily his game. But he skates well enough and he gets himself in position, hopefully he can help in that aspect. "He gives me another centerman. We've had three natural centermen in (Drew) Larman, (Jamie) Arniel and (Zach) Hamill. Somewhere along the line you're going to get a guy in the penalty box or hurt, and then there really wasn't another potential centerman in the lineup,'' said Murray. Before college, Fraser was the captain of the U.S. National Development Team's U-17 and U-18 squads that featured current NHL stars such as Phil Kessel, Jack Johnson, Peter Mueller and Eric Johnson. Fraser flew to Providence this morning after playing Thursday night in Reading's 2-2 tie with Toledo. He has an assist in 6 games with Reading and is minus-5. "We'll see about Sunday,'' Murray said.
October 29
After last night's 4-1 loss at home to Buffalo, New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire is giving future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur the night off in Boston tonight. Former Brown All-American Yann Danis will make his Devils' debut in goal. Danis hasn't played since a Sept. 23 preseason game. He had a 2.86 goals-against average and a 10-17-3 record for the Islanders last year. Danis hasn't started a regular-season game since April 12, when he was pulled early in the second period after giving up 4 goals on 15 shots to the Bruins in a 6-2 loss.
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- It's been a quiet week at The Dunk. Too quiet. About the only nugget of news is that Yannick Riendeau and Levi Nelson have been cleared to start skating. They have been told not to do any puck-handling or shooting yet. Riendeau and Nelson were on the ice on Wednesday for the first time. Skills coach Victor Teleguine skated them hard after the team practice was over. Coach Rob Murray said both players probably are at least a couple of months away from being cleared to play in games. Riendeau had shoulder surgery over the summer. Nelson had surgery after breaking his collarbone during a rookie tournament in early September.
He was suspended for four games "as a result of his actions in a game at Portland on Oct. 10. Fata was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 29.1 (supplementary discipline)," according to the league. That's the AHL's way of saying that he cross-checked Portland's Brad Larsen in the jaw.
Kirk MacDonald (groin) skated Thursday, but is questionable for the weekend.
October 26
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- It was a slow morning at The Dunk, with the team going through a rare Monday practice after having Sunday off. The highlight of the day came at the end of practice when Doug Smith, the team's unofficial fight coach, got together with Brett Clouthier, Lane MacDermid, Guillaume Lefebvre and Craig Weller to work on some of the fine points of fighting. Smith, 45, is a police officer in Hanover, Mass. He was a minor-league enforcer before retiring in 1998. The four P-Bruins players took turns punching the padded mitts held by Smith, first working on right-left combinations and then punching with one hand while holding Smith's jersey with the other. At times, Smith, who was 6'2'' and 210 pounds in his playing days, grabbed a handful of the player's jersey and tied them up. After about 15 minutes, all four of the players, as well as Smith, were laughing, dripping with sweat and breathing hard. Kirk MacDonald is still out with a groin injury. He'll skate on his own on Tuesday, said coach Rob Murray. "There's an outside chance he might be ready for the weekend,'' Murray said. Early on Sunday, the P-Bruins released Reading callup Ben Gordon from his PTO and returned Jared Ross to Reading. The two were able to catch a flight to Michigan in time to play in Reading's 4 p.m. game in Kalamazoo. So far, Reading has a win, two regulation losses, an overtime loss and a shootout loss. Kevin Regan has played every game in goal for the Royals. He has a 4.10 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage. "We had trouble generating much sustained offense,'' in the 3-0 loss in Manchester, Murray said. "Our best line was Larman, Weller and MacDermid. They were on the puck, they got it deep, they had some chances. Along with Dany Sabourin, they were probably our best players. "We've just got to squeeze a little more out of some of the other guys. You've gotta grasp your opportunity. It might come and go real quick. You've got to take advantage of it.''
October 24
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Nothing in Andy Wozniewski's resume over five pro seasons suggests that he's a big scorer. A dependable, two-way defenseman, yes. A player with size, reach and skating ability. A guy who can run a power play in the American Hockey League. And, with 77 games of NHL experience in Toronto and St. Louis, someone who can fill in on the third defense pairing in Boston if injuries strike. But not a player who is capable of averaging two points per game. After all, his career high is 17 points in a season. Yet, heading into Saturday's games, Wozniewski was the AHL's leading scorer with 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in 7 games. "It hasn't been a fluke,'' said P-Bruins coach Rob Murray. "He's played very well. He's probably been our most consistent player overall, offensively and defensively. He bought into the idea that we want our D to join the play. "I don't know how he played before coming here, but you can almost see him saying, 'All right, I can jump into the play.' He's taking advantage of it.'' "The game's changing towards the defensemen . . . being the fourth man (in the attack),'' said Wozniewski, who is 6'5'' and 225 pounds. "The last few years, I've played more defensive hockey. (This season) I've been getting my opportunities and jumping at the right time.'' While 10 of Wozniewski's points have come on the power play, Murray and assistant coach Butch Cassidy depend on him in all situations. "He's got a good long reach on the penalty kill, and he's a smart player. That's one of the things I'm finding with him,'' said Murray. "His hockey intellect is high. He grasps what needs to be done and what we're asking him to do.'' Except for one game with the Blues, the 29-year-old former University of Wisconsin defenseman spent all of last season in Peoria and Wilkes-Barre / Scranton of the AHL. He signed a two-way contract with Boston just days before training camp started in September that pays him $105,000 in the AHL and $600,000 in the NHL. "It was really late,'' he said. "I went over it and took a long time, and I decided on what team and what situation I wanted to be in, and Boston was the right fit.'' A chance to get back to the NHL is one reason Wozniewski chose the Bruins. "Obviously, that's my goal. That's why you play is to try and play in the NHL. I've been there, and I definitely want to be back there,'' he said. Only three weeks into the season, it's not too early to compare Wozniewski to Johnny Boychuk. Boychuk had a career year last season, winning the Eddie Shore Award winner as the AHL's best defenseman and sharing the team scoring lead with Martin St. Pierre. It earned Boychuk an NHL contract with Boston." "He's doing what Johnny did last year,'' said Murray. While Sabourin rushed to the hospital, Murray started searching for a backup goalie. "I had to scramble,'' Murray said. Murray called Paulo Deroxas of Warwick, the netminder on Murray's summer men's league team. Deroxas was able to get to the Dunkin Donuts Center and suit up by gametime. The Sabourins had a baby girl early on Saturday morning, and Dany was expected to be in uniform Saturday night in Manchester.
Hamill, 21, and Arniel, 19, are youngsters still trying to find their way in the pro game. But Larman, 24, has over 200 games of AHL experience as well as 22 games in the NHL. A free-agent pickup from the Florida organization, Larman has never scored more than 17 goals in an AHL season. Murray is not worried about Larman's lack of offensive production. "It probably concerns him more than it concerns me. He's doing what I'm asking him to do as a checking centerman,'' said Murray. "For the most part, that line (Larman, Guillaume Lefebvre and Kirk MacDonald) has got the job done against the other team's top line.'' Larman "doesn't have outstanding touch around the net, but he's gonna score some goals. . . . I've really liked his game otherwise. Losing (Brad) Marchand and (Vladimir) Sobotka, you're going to have to hope that on certain nights he becomes the guy that gets that goal for you. He's getting his chances, so it'll come.''
October 22
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- With the parent team playing in Philadelphia tonight, left wing Guillaume Lefebvre was recalled this morning to add toughness to the lineup. Lefebvre has had two fighting majors in five AHL games this season and is second in the league in penalty minutes with 42. Gordon, a 5'11'' 164-pound forward, has two goals in two games for the Reading Royals, Providence's East Coast Hockey League affiliate. "He's on the offensive side of the puck,'' said Rob Murray. "He's a skill guy. He's not very big but he's pretty quick. It's going be (a short-term recall) just to get us through this weekend.'' Gordon, 24, played four seasons at the University of Minnesota. He had 39 goals and 74 assists for 113 points in 148 games for the Gophers. He split last season between Cincinnati and Reading and posted a 21-36-57 line in 63 games.
White -- Hamill, LoVecchio, Knackstedt Yellow -- Arniel, Lehtonen, Marquardt Red -- Weller, MacDermid, Larman, Clouthier
October 21
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- The callup of Trent Whitfield to Boston leaves the P-Bruins short one forward, and coach Rob Murray is looking for a player to fill in. "We haven't made any moves as far as getting a guy, but we're going to have to,'' Murray said after practice Wednesday morning. "We're weighing our options right now. I don't expect to get anyone back (from Boston) by the weekend.'' One possibility, Murray said, is free agent Adam Pineault, who was one of the team's best forwards in training camp. Without Whitfield, and with Kirk MacDonald sidelined by an apparent groin injury, Murray has only 11 forwards, instead of the usual 12. The 11 includes Craig Weller, who hasn't arrived in Providence yet, but is expected in the next day or so.
The Bruins' Guillaume Lefebvre is tops in penalty minutes with 42 in five games. Adam McQuaid is tied for for second with 36 in six games. Only Bridgeport has more penalty minutes than Providence. After a loss in regulation and a shootout loss in the Reading Royals first two games, Kevin Regan a 4.32 goals-against average and an .859 save percentage. Reading's next game is Friday night at Kalamazoo.
BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Bruins scoring leader Marc Savard will miss four to six weeks with a broken left foot. The team's announcement Wednesday did not say when Savard injured the foot. The forward has led the team in scoring each of the past three years. He did not miss a game last season, when he had 25 goals and 63 assists for 88 points. He has four goals and three assists this season. The team recalled 32-year-old forward Trent Whitfield from Providence. He has scored three goals with eight assists this season. Whitfield is expected to be available for
October 20
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Craig Weller is expected to arrive in Rhode Island either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and will be in the lineup on Friday night against Worcester at The Dunk, according to coach Rob Murray. Weller, acquired on Sunday from Minnesota as part of the Chuck Kobasew trade, spent four full seasons with the Hartford Wolfpack. "He was a captain in Hartford, so obviously he's looked at as a good character guy. He's a big body, he's tough. He sticks up for his teammates,'' said Murray. A 28-year-old right wing, Weller is 6'4'', 220 pounds. His best season in Hartford was in 2005-06 when he had a 12-22-34 line with 152 PIMs in 80 games. Weller had a goal and two assists in 36 games with the Wild last season. This season he had 0-1-1 in five games with Houston of the AHL. "The schedule's still light. Right now, we'll probably go with the bodies we've got,'' he said. "It's time for these guys to take advantage of the opportunity they're going to get to play some minutes. Obviously there's going to be an assessment made if they can or can't handle it . We're hoping that they can. A guy like Jordan Knackstedt, it's a pretty good opportunity to get going this year. "You lose March and Vladdy and its going to be a hit to our lineup, obviously. You're not fooling anybody if you think it's going to be the same team. . . . Nobody expected Vladdy to be here to begin with. We liked our team without him. There's no reason we shouldn't like our team now. We hope (they stick with Boston and) we never see them again. Byron Bitz last year was a great example. He went up for one game and he never came back.
White -- Hamill, LoVecchio, Arniel Blue -- Clouthier, Knackstedt, Marquardt Yellow -- MacDermid, Whitfield, Lehtonen Red -- Larman, Lefebvre, MacDonald
October 19
BY MARK DIVVER Ten quick thoughts on the Chuck Kobasew trade and what it means to the Providence Bruins:
wrote, agree to disagree. there are other players on the team who are capable of picking up the slack scoring-wise.... Read the rest, write another... October 16
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Trent Whitfield wore the captain's 'C' for the first four games of the season, but coach Rob Murray said he wanted to take a week or two before making a final decision. Now it's official: Whitfield is the captain of this year's Providence Bruins. Whitfield was the captain in Peoria last year, where former P-Bruin Brent Thompson is an assistant coach. "Any time I talk to Brent, and we talk a lot during the season, he couldn't say enough about Trent Whitfield and what he brings,'' Murray said. "This guy leads by example, he's one of the hardest-working guys in practice every day,'' Murray said. "(Assistant coach) Butch (Cassidy) had him in Washington and he endorsed him right off the hop.'' Whitfield, a center, signed a two-year contract with Boston over the summer. Murray is still in the process of deciding on assistant captains. Jeff Penner will play his first game of the season after recovering from a lower-body injury. Rob Kwiet (elbow) will not dress. Healthy scratches will be Brett Clouthier and Jordan Knackstedt, according to Murray.
October 15
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- When the Boston Bruins' plane lifts off for Dallas Thursday afternoon, no callups from Providence will be aboard. The P-Bruins practiced with their full crew Thursday morning, and coach Rob Murray said afterward that he hadn't heard from Boston GM Peter Chiarelli or assistant GM Don Sweeney. Boston's only extra player, defenseman Johnny Boychuk, was in the lineup Monday in place of the injured Dennis Wideman, who is not making the trip to Dallas and Phoenix. It appeared that Boston might need an extra defenseman or perhaps a forward to help spark them out of their recent funk. "(The league) deemed it a headshot,'' Murray said. Fata was assessed a minor penalty on the play by referee Mark Lemelin. Portland coach Kevin Dineen asked the league to review the incident. "Within 24 hours, you have to submit a form telling the league that you're asking for supplementary discipline and then you send in the videotape," Murray said. "They kind of came together and (Fata) got his stick up and it hit him in the jaw. It was enough for a penalty and I guess Larsen's hurt. That comes into play, when there's an injury sustained on the play. If that had happened to one of our guys, I would have sent it in, too,'' said Murray. Fata won't be eligible to play again until Oct. 30 at Manchester. He'll sit out home games with Lowell, Portland and Worcester, and a road game at Manchester.
October 13
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Rob Murray hasn't heard from Boston regarding any possible callups, but that doesn't mean he won't by the end of the week. With Boston's Dennis Wideman day to day with a shoulder injury, and the struggling parent club headed to Dallas (Friday) and Phoenix (Saturday), it's possible that a body or two might be needed. If it's a defenseman, Murray said there are four realistic possibilities. "(Andy) Wozniewski would be a logical choice. Andrew Bodnarchuk and Adam McQuaid have played well. Drew Fata hasn't played as well as these guys, but he had a very good training camp in Boston. Obviously, Wozniewski is going to bring you a little more offense than Andrew or Adam. It could be any one of those four depending on what they need.'' If Boston decides to add a forward, Guillaume Lefebvre, Brad Marchand and Vladimir Sobotka would probably be on the short list of candidates. Defenseman Rob Kwiet, who hurt his elbow on Friday, probably won't be ready this weekend, Murray said. "It's kind of a day-to-day thing with who we might lose or who we might not lose. And where Jeff Penner's at. . . . I might not be able to send (Ross) back yet,'' said Murray. Reading's season-opener is Wednesday night.
October 12
By MARK DIVVER Leftovers from the season's first three-games-in-three-nights weekend: "Two nights in a row, undisciplined penalties,'' Murray said after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Hartford. "Lane MacDermid takes a hooking penalty behind their net. Then Jeff LoVecchio was chasing a guy down on the penalty kill and hooks him. It was a blatant hook. These things can't happen.'' While MacDermid and LoVecchio were in the box, Hartford sniper P.A. Parenteau scored to give the Wolf Pack a 2-1 lead. Three minutes later, with Providence on the power play, Alain Goulet's giveaway gave Hartford's Dale Weise a breakaway. Goulet then hauled down Weise, and the Wolf Pack winger was awarded a penalty shot. Weise beat goalie Matt Dalton five-hole for what turned out to be the game-winner for Hartford. Murray wondered whether pulling down Weise was the right play, but concluded that the play wouldn't have been necessary if Goulet had taken better care of the puck. "Do you maybe let their guy go in on a breakaway as opposed to dragging him down for a penalty shot? You know, maybe give the goalie a chance to make a save, as opposed to letting (Weise) regroup and have a penalty shot. . . . That's a poor decision by Goulet at the blueline to give them that breakaway.'' Goulet was not alone in his struggles. Zach Hamill was selected as the second star Sunday, undoubtedly because he posted two power-play assists. But the 21-year-old center had little impact five on five. Hamill registered just one shot on goal in each of this weekend's games. He has no goals and three assists in four games thus far, not the kind of start Bruins management and fans were expecting after a strong training camp in Boston. Jamie Arniel, who also got a good look in Boston's camp, doesn't have a goal yet, either. He could put his better-than-average wheels to better use and be the first man on the puck more often. Drew Fata scored a goal on Sunday, but is minus-4 after just four games. The bad news is that the Bruins haven't been effective at even strength -- their last 5-on-5 goal was scored midway through Friday night's game. "We didn't generate much in the first two periods, five on five, at all. We relied on our power play, and it was good,'' Murray said on Sunday. In fact, the Bruins had just nine shots deep into the second period. Brad Marchand is tied with Hartford's Corey Locke for the lead in goals with five. Never afraid to fire the puck on net, Marchand already has 19 shots.
October 10
The Providence Bruins summoned defenseman Jared Ross from Reading of the East Coast Hockey League after rookie Rob Kwiet was injured Friday night. Kwiet injured a shoulder or arm in the third period of Friday night's game against Hartford. Ross, who attended Providence's training camp, is in the lineup Saturday night in Portland. He played four years at St. Lawrence.
October 8
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Coming off hip surgery, goalie Kevin Regan was sent to Reading of the East Coast Hockey League Thursday to get some game action. "Kevin needs to play,'' coach Rob Murray said after practice at the Dunkin Donuts Center. "The way our schedule shapes up -- we've got three games this weekend and Matt Dalton's gonna play one of the three, I'm not sure which one yet -- then we've got two games next weekend and chances are Dany (Sabourin) will get both of those games as long as everything's going OK. "So you're looking at one game out of five in the next two weeks. (Regan's) just got to play. Going down to Reading, they've got a couple of exhibition games this weekend. They start (the regular season) Wednesday, so before half a week's done, he might have two games under his belt.'' "Kevin was disappointed. He wants to stick around and fight for the number-one spot. I understand that, it's commendable. But he's also coming off an injury and needs to get himself in game shape. There's no easy way to do it.'' "I'm happy. I'm going to keep working hard and hopefully stay (in Providence),'' he said. Instead of attending college classes and getting ready to start the college season, Dalton is sharing an apartment at The Regency in downtown Providence with rookie defenseman Alain Goulet. He's glad to be in Providence, but he misses his college friends. "Those are my close buddies there. You know, you go through a lot of stuff together. I miss the guys a lot, but I'm looking forward to being here in Providence,'' he said. Zdeno Chara probably won't be checking in with Providence rookie defenseman Rob Kwiet for tips on how to handle the slick rookie, but if he did, here's what Kwiet would tell him: "It's going to be a tough job. Obviously John Tavares is a great hockey player. You just gotta be strong on him. Take away all passing lanes cause when you don't, he'll find one. "Everybody's got high expectations for him and when he came into the OHL they did as well. He definitely lived up to his hype and I think he'll do fine (in the NHL) once he gets settled in. He'll be a great player for them, especially on the power play.'' Kwiet played against Tavares for the past several years in the Ontario Hockey League. Last spring, Kwiet's Windsor Spitfires beat Tavares's London Knights in a five-game playoff series. Every game went to overtime.
With Kevin Regan's departure, Matt Dalton is Dany Sabourin's backup in Providence. Here's the news release from the Providence Bruins: Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 18th year in the American Hockey League, announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have reassigned goaltender Kevin Regan to the Reading Royals of the ECHL. With the move, the P-Bruins now have 23 players on their roster, including 14 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.
Regan, 25, did not appear in Providence's only game this season, though he dressed as a back-up behind net-minder Dany Sabourin. The native of South Boston, Massachusetts, is in his third professional season but is still considered an AHL rookie after going 9-7-2 with a 2.99 goals-against-average and an .896 save percentage in 21 games for Providence last season. Regan also appeared in six ECHL games in 2008-09, compiling a 2-2-0 record and 2.47 GAA for the Alaska Aces, along with a 1-1-0 mark and 2.50 GAA as a member of the Gwinnett Gladiators.
The goalie's first pro experience came at the end of the 2007-08 regular season following a standout senior season for the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. After signing an Amateur Tryout Agreement on April 9, 2008, Regan recorded his only professional shutout in his pro debut three nights later against the Manchester Monarchs.
In his young pro career, Regan has posted a 13-10-2 overall record, one shutout, a 2.75 GAA and a .905 save percentage in 28 games. Regan was taken 277th overall by Boston in round nine of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
Ken Campbell of The Hockey News notes that Milan Lucic's three-year, $12.25-million contract extension includes a $1 million signing bonus that constitutes a lockout insurance policy for Lucic. Campbell explains: ". . . the $1 million bonus is due to be paid July 1, 2012. For those of you not keeping score, that could very well be a couple of months before another labor disruption. The current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2011-12 season, but the players have the option of extending it for another year, which means it could very well come to an end after that season. ''So if the owners lock the players out the way they did in 2004, Lucic will at least have $1 million in his pocket to get him through the lean times.''
October 7
WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) -- Milan Lucic has felt the love of the Boston Bruins fans and is not interested in playing for another team. The forward signed a three-year contract extension with the Bruins on Tuesday, passing on the chance to become a restricted free agent next summer. "I wanted to stay in Boston and I just enjoy everything about being a Bruin and the city, the organization and coming to the rink here, it's always a good feeling," Lucic said Wednesday at a news conference. Lucic first expressed his desire to stay with the Bruins at his year-end meeting last spring after the Bruins lost their second-round playoff series against Carolina. Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said the deal, which expires after the 2012-13 season, came together over the past month. "I was really excited to get this done. I love the way Milan plays, I love the way he carries himself on and off the ice. He's a very humble person and he deserves this," Chiarelli said. What Lucic provides doesn't often show up on the score sheet. Through two previous seasons and the first two games of this season, he has 25 goals, 45 assists and a plus-16 rating. He also has racked up 230 penalty minutes in 151 regular season games. His team-leading total for hits and his game-changing fights only begin to quantify his contributions. Now that he's signed the extension, it'll be up to Lucic, 21, to continue to improve but also remain the type of player he has been up to this point. "I definitely think there's going to be a little more pressure," he said about the contract. "For myself, you've just got to think about what got you here. You can't get away from those things. You've just got to work at what makes you great. I think for me, it's that straight-line game, meat and potatoes, getting the puck in deep and getting rid of it, not being too fancy. So I've got to stick to that in order to be successful." Bruins coach Claude Julien, who also recently signed an extension with the Bruins, is excited to have the 6-foot-3, 228-pound left winger at his disposal for the foreseeable future. "It's nice because I think everybody here knows that he's an important part of our hockey club and he's still a very young player," Julien said. "You're battling with the success of young players that obviously get those big raises after three years. It's always been a challenge for every team to try and make those kinds of things fit into your plans. We know he's a big part of our hockey club and we want him here and it's nice to know that at least we've got him here for these next four years."
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Not much to report from this morning's practice at the Dunkin Donuts Center. Jeff Penner still isn't skating, and today Kirk MacDonald joined Penner (lower body), Levi Nelson (collarbone) and Yannick Riendeau (shoulder) on the sidelines. "(MacDonald) tweaked his groin a little bit yesterday,'' said coach Rob Murray. "He wanted to practice, but I told him not to, so he wouldn't make it any worse.'' "He might have been practice player of the day,'' Murray said. "Hopefully, sooner or later, we'll have a chance to get him in the lineup.'' "Dany (Sabourin) will play Friday and then we'll make a decision after that. We'll see. I haven't thought past Friday.''
October 6
BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed forward Milan Lucic to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season. Per club policy, financial terms of the deal will not be disclosed. The 21-year-old Lucic set career highs in all major statistical categories last year after recording 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points, in addition to tallying 136 penalty minutes and a +17 rating. He netted his first career hat trick and a career-best four points on October 25, 2008, after a 3-1=4 performance against the Atlanta Thrashers. During the 2008-09 postseason, the 6'3'' 228-pound winger had three goals and six assists and a team best +12 plus/minus rating in 10 games. In his rookie year in 2007-08, Lucic registered 8-19=27 totals and 89 penalty minutes in 77 contests. Lucic earned the team's "Seventh Player Award" for his efforts, an award voted on by the fans and given to the Bruin who performs above and beyond expectations. He also contributed two goals in seven postseason games. Lucic has skated in both games during the 2009-10 season and has notched one assist and five penalty minutes. He was invited to - and participated in - Canada's National Men's Team Orientation Camp this past August, in advance of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games and 2010 IIHF World Championship. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be played in Lucic's hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Lucic helped the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League capture the 2007 Memorial Cup Championship.
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE - It was a quiet, virtually news-free morning at the Dunkin Donuts Center, where the Providence Bruins practiced for an hour today. With Game 1 out of the way, the team is settling into the seasonal routine of having Monday off, then practicing Tuesday through Thursday in preparation for games on the weekend. Coach Rob Murray said Penner has a lower-body injury. "I don't think there's a time limit on it. It's just a matter of getting more comfortable with it,'' Murray said. "In the first 10 minutes, we were just absolutely flying,'' he said. Murray noted the way the team bounced back after falling behind by a goal despite dominating early. "We're a resilient team again. I used that word a lot last year. We didn't let things bother us . . . I have no qualms about anybody's play (on Sunday). Everyone had a good game.''
Yellow -- Larman, Lefebvre, MacDonald
October 3
By MARK DIVVER Two seasons ago, the Providence Bruins won 55 games and ran away with the Atlantic Division. Last spring, they reached the Calder Cup semifinals. This year, there's every indication that the good times will roll again. The Bruins have replaced one top goalie, Tuukka Rask, with another, Dany Sabourin. The defense -- even without Johnny Boychuk, the best defenseman in the league last year -- is deeper. The offense will miss high-scoring Martin St. Pierre, but should reap increased production from an impressive crop of good young forwards. As long as they aren't decimated by injuries, callups or trades, Providence should be in the hunt for the division title. Before the puck is dropped Sunday afternoon at the Dunkin Donuts Center, here are five things you should know about this year's team: PROSPECTS From Quebec to British Columbia, Finland to the Czech Republic, Alaska to New England, Boston's scouting and drafting department is on a hot streak. The big league roster is sprinkled with homegrown talent like David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Mark Stuart and Matt Hunwick. And there are more players in the pipeline. No P-Bruins team in recent memory has had as many good young prospects as this year's team. There are top 10 draft picks like Zach Hamill out of the Western Hockey League, and late-round picks from Eastern Europe such as Vladimir Sobotka. Jeff Penner was playing college hockey in Anchorage before signing with Boston as a free agent. No team in the Atlantic Division has as deep a list of prospects: Sobotka, Hamill, Penner, Brad Marchand, Jeff LoVecchio, Mikko Lehtonen, Jamie Arniel, Adam McQuaid. GOALTENDING As good as Rask was the past two years, he never won the AHL's best goalie award, as Sabourin did in 2005-06. The 6'4'' netminder spent a good part of last season in the NHL -- he played the bulk of the games while Pittsburgh starter Marc-Andre Fleury was injured. Still only 29 and on a one-year contract, Sabourin should be motivated to have a big year and try to earn another shot in the NHL. COACHING If there were an award for rookie coach of the year in the AHL, Rob Murray would have been a strong candidate last season. Murray's assistant, Bruce Cassidy, was an NHL head coach in Washington at age 37. There aren't many coaching tandems as good in the AHL. TOUGHNESS WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION Brad Marchand drives opponents nuts with nonstop trash talk. Just ask the Worcester Sharks, who were thrown off their game by his antics during last spring's playoffs. Marchand can play the game, too. He has better than average hands and might be the team's fastest skater. Expect the 21-year-old winger to see some time in Boston this year.
October 2
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- Of course Vladimir Sobotka would rather be in the NHL. What 22-year-old hockey player wouldn't? Sobotka was the best player on the ice at Friday morning's practice, according to coach Rob Murray, despite his disappointment over being demoted to the Providence Bruins. Afterward, Sobotka said all the right things about the front office's unexpected decision to send him down to save some salary cap dollars. "We are over the cap and that's why they send me down,'' Sobotka said. "They said I'll be back soon.'' Sobotka got the bad news from general manager Peter Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien on Tuesday. "I have to start here, and we'll see,'' said Sobotka, a native of the Czech Republic. "It's just business, not hockey. They tell me I play good. When I started (the exhibition games), it wasn't that good, but I finished really well. That's what they said. It's not about hockey, it's about business.'' Sobotka said the temporary setback won't deter him from someday being an NHL regular. "I always want to play in NHL, you know, so I'm not gonna stop now. I'm always going to play 100 percent.'' "We're working on getting those two players signed. I would anticipate, hopefully, working something out with them" by Sunday's opener, said Boston assistant GM Don Sweeney, who was on the ice with the P-Bruins at Friday's practice. MacDermid, 20, was a fourth-round draft pick in June. A physical 6'3'' 200-pound left wing, MacDermid had a couple of fights in the exhibition season. He'll probably play a fourth-line role in Providence. Goulet, 21, was a sixth-round pick in 2007. He's a 6'3'' 195-pound right-shooting offensive defenseman. Goulet projects to be a number six or seven defenseman in Providence until he gains more experience. Some players might be chosen to wear the letters for Sunday's game, but a final decision probably won't be made until next weekend, Murray said. Trent Whitfield, signed as a free agent by Boston over the summer, was captain last season in Peoria. Murray has said that Adam McQuaid, who turns 23 next week, is possible captain material. Murray said he didn't know what plans Stuart and Fraser have, but that if they end up in the East Coast Hockey League, they could get another chance in Providence. "We liked Fraser. He's a guy we'll keep in mind for future,'' Murray said. "We'll keep tabs on (Stuart), if we ever had to get a veteran guy who's been around and can step right back in your lineup.'' "He's a good soldier. He wants to do whatever it takes to be here. He understands right now he might not be in the lineup right off the hop. He wants to work hard and this is where he wants to be. He was willing to sign a PTO and we'll go from there," Murray said. The Sobotka-Hamill-Marchand line is the first power-play unit, followed by Whitfield-LoVecchio-Lehtonen.
October 1
By MARK DIVVER PROVIDENCE -- And then there were three. Goalies, that is. Adam Courchaine, 20, has been sent to the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, where he will be an overage player, said Providence coach Rob Murray. That leaves netminders Dany Sabourin, Kevin Regan and Matt Dalton in Providence. Zach Hamill, Brad Marchand and Dany Sabourin were no-shows, too. That's because coach Rob Murray gave the team the day off. The P-Bruins will practice two more times -- Friday and Saturday -- before the opener on Sunday afternoon. Murray, though, said that he's not at all concerned that Sobotka will report to Providence with the wrong attitude. "Vladdy's the type of kid, I don't care how disappointed or how pissed off he might be, when the game starts, he goes hard. I'm not worried about that,'' Murray said.
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