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Monday, February 28, 2011

Providence Obtains New Goaltender

Jeff Penner Traded To Minnesota
February 28, 2011


Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has acquired goalie Anton Khudobin in a trade with the Minnesota Wild, in exchange for Providence Bruins defenseman Jeff Penner and the restricted free agent (RFA) rights to forward Mikko Lehtonen. Khudobin will report to Providence (AHL).

Khudobin, a 5’11”, 203-lb native of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, has appeared in 34 games for the AHL’s Houston Aeros, with a 19-12-1 record, a GAA of 2.58 and a .911 save percentage. The 24-year-old has played in four NHL games this season with Minnesota, having a record of 2-1-0, a 1.59 GAA and a save percentage of .940. He recorded his first career NHL shutout when he made 32 saves in a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks on January 16. He has one shutout this year for Houston.

Originally drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Khudobin has appeared in six career NHL games, all with Minnesota. He has a 4-1-0 record, a 1.39 GAA and a .955 save percentage with one shutout. Penner, a 23-year-old native of Steinbach, Minnesota, has 5-14=19 totals with 30 PIM in 57 games this season with Providence. At the time of the trade, he led the P-Bruins in plus/minus with a plus-10 rating. He has appeared in two career NHL games, both during the 2009-10 season with Boston, and had no points or PIM. Penner was undrafted and played one season of collegiate hockey with the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In 207 career AHL games, all with Providence, he had 22-60=82 totals with 108 PIM.

Lehtonen has spent this season with Skelleftea HC of the Swedish Elite League. In 52 games, the 23-year-old has 29-27=56 totals and 32 PIM. Minnesota will now own his NHL restricted free agent rights. He has appeared in two career NHL games, both with Boston, and he has no points or PIM. The 6’3”, 196-lb native of Espoo, Finland was originally drafted by the Bruins in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Bruins Unload McGrattan

Providence Gets New Additions
February 27, 2011
by T. Chace Jr.


The Boston Bruins have traded forward Brian McGrattan and defenseman Sean Zimmerman to the Anaheim Ducks for center Stephane Chaput and forward David Laliberte. Both players will report to Providence.

The Numbers:

David Laliberte
Position: RW
Height: 6-1
Weight: 198 lbs.
Born: March 17, 1986
in St.Liboire, PQ


2009-10: Attended the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) training camp…Assigned to Adirondack (AHL) on 9/28/09…Made his Adirondack debut and tallied one assist on 10/3/09 in the season opener vs. Worcester…Played in his 100th career AHL game on 10/10/09 at Syracuse…Posted a game-high three-points (1 goal, 2 assists) on 10/23/09 vs. Hartford…Recalled from loan by Philadelphia (NHL) on 10/30/09…Made his NHL debut and scored his first career NHL goal against Carolina Hurricanes goalie Michael Leighton on 10/31/09; also had one assist in the game…Returned to Adirondack on 11/13/09 after playing in 4 games for Philadelphia (NHL)…Scored a power play goal on 11/14/09 vs. Bridgeport…Recalled by the Flyers (NHL) on 11/17/09…Returned to Adirondack on 11/25/09 after playing in four more games for Philadelphia…Scored the game-tying goal with 35.8 seconds left and added two assists on 11/28/09 at Hershey…Had a goal and an assist on 12/2/09 at Lowell…Recalled to Philadelphia (NHL) on 12/8/09…Played in his 150th career Pro game with the Flyers on 12/8/09 vs. the New York Islanders…Returned to Adirondack (AHL) on 12/13/09, after playing in three more NHL games…Had a goal and an assist on 12/30/09 at Albany…Scored the game-tying goal with 67 seconds left in regulation in a 4-3 overtime win on 1/6/10 at Albany…Recorded an assist for the fourth straight game on 1/22/10 at Binghamton…Scored his 50th career Pro goal on 1/23/10 vs. Albany.

2008-09: Played his second season with the Phantoms and had a breakout offensive year, scoring 48 points (28 goals, 20 assists) in 70 games played; he ranked third on the team in goals and fifth in points…Played in his 100th career Pro game on 2/13/09 at Bridgeport…Recorded his 50th career AHL point on 4/1/09 vs. Albany; a night where he scored a career-high four points and posted his first career professional Hat Trick.

CAREER NOTES: Born in St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, but grew up in St. Liboire…Drafted by Philadelphia in the 4th Round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft…Made his professional debut with the Phantoms on 10/14/07 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton…Recorded his first career Pro point with the Wheeling Nailers in his ECHL debut on 10/18/07 at Johnstown…Scored his first career Pro goal on 10/26/07 vs. South Carolina…Tallied his first career AHL goal and assist in the same game with the Phantoms on 11/30/07 at Hamilton.

JUNIORS: Played five years of junior hockey with the Montreal/Prince Edward Island Rocket…In 279 career QMJHL games he scored 229 points (121 goals, 108 assists) and had 224 penalty minutes…Also appeared in 30 QMJHL playoff games, recording 20 points (12 goals, 8 assists) and 18 PIMs.

GP - 49
G - 8
A - 10
Pts. - 18
-17
PIM - 52


Stefan Chaput
Position: C
Height: 6-0
Weight: 192 lbs.
Born: March 11, 1988
in Montreal, PQ

2009-10: Played 75 games in his rookie season, totaling 38 points (10g, 28a) with 18 penalty minutes…Played in only two of Albany’s eight Calder Cup Playoffs games due to injury…Scored his first goal of the season and added two assists vs. ROC (10/10)…Had four-game point streak (1g, 5a) from 11/28-12/6…Suffered an upper body injury on 3/27 @ SYR and missed the final five games of the regular season and the first five games of the playoffs.

2008-09: Scored four goals and added seven assists (11 points) in 15 games with Albany, missing the majority of the season due to injury...Recorded first career pro point with an assist, before suffering an injury vs. BNG (10/22)...Scored first career pro goal and added an assist for his first career multi-point game vs. PRO (11/8)…Suffered an injury at PHI (11/19)…Returned to the injured list 12/6 and had season-ending surgery on 2/4.

Juniors: Played three full seasons for the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League…Had 168 points (71 goals, 97 assists) and 145 penalty minutes in 196 career QMJHL games for Lewiston…Captured the 2007 QMJHL championship and advanced to the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver.

Miscellaneous: Made his AHL and Pro hockey debut on 4/13/08…Signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on April 16, 2008.

GP - 47
G - 3
A - 7
Pts. - 10
-6
PIM - 15

Friday, February 18, 2011

Bruins Make Several Big Deals

Bruins Obtain Tomas Kaberle Finally
by T. Chace Jr.
February 18, 2011

After a long courting, the Boston Bruins have obtained veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Providence forward Joe Colborne, a 2011 first round pick, and a conditional draft pick.

Moments later in a salary cap move, the Bruins sent forward Blake Wheeler and defenseman Mark Stuart to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for center Rich Peverley and defenseman Boris Valabik.

The Bruins now have more than $5 million in cap space. Kaberle will be a free agent in August. The conditional pick in the deal will be a second round pick in 2012 if Kaberle resigns with Boston or if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.

We can dream.

Providence Reassign Goalie Mike Dalton

Hutchinson Returns, Dalton Heads Back to ECHL's Reading Royals
February 17, 2011

The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have reassigned goaltender Michael Hutchinson to Providence from the ECHL's Reading Royals, while also reassigning goalie Matt Dalton from Providence to Reading. The two net-minders were originally swapped on Dec. 29, 2010.

Hutchinson, 20, began the season in Providence, going 7-7-0 with a 3.11 goal-against-average and .898 save percentage in 18 games to begin his professional career. The P-Bruins' November Player of the Month enjoyed a seven-game unbeaten streak from Oct. 31 to Nov. 24, 2010, going 5-0-0, but then lost five of six starts before being sent to Reading.

Hutchinson found success again in the ECHL, compiling a 9-5-3 record, his first career shutout, a 2.85 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 17 games for the Royals. He enjoyed his best run from Jan. 21 to Feb. 2, going 4-0-2 over a six-game unbeaten in regulation stretch.

Prior to turning pro, Hutchinson spent four junior seasons in the OHL with Barrie and London. The native of Barrie, Ontario, went a remarkable 32-12-2 with three shutouts and a 2.86 GAA in his final junior year for the Knights in 2009-10. Overall, Hutchinson compiled a 67-50-13 record in 130 regular season games in juniors, plus a 12-11 playoff mark. The rookie was selected by Boston 77th overall in round three of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Dalton, 24, went 7-8-0 with two shutouts and a 3.07 GAA in 15 games during his second stint of the season in Providence, bringing his AHL season totals to 16 contests, a 7-9-0 mark and 3.20 GAA. His seven wins were the first of his AHL career, as were his two shutouts. Dalton was named Providence's January Player of the Month, helped by a string of six wins in seven games from Jan. 2-21, but he since dropped six of seven decisions, including his last five attempts at a victory.

Dalton returns to Reading, where the second-year pro is 11-7-0 with two shutouts, a 2.88 GAA and .912 save percentage in 18 games this year. As a rookie in 2009-10, Dalton backstopped the Royals to the American Conference Finals and he was named Reading's Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year and Fan's Choice after finishing the regular season with a 22-20-4 record, one shutout, a 3.47 GAA and .906 save percentage in 46 outings. He added a 10-6 mark in the postseason, along with a 3.02 GAA and .914 save percentage. Dalton also went 0-4-1 with a 3.26 GAA and .904 save percentage in six games for Providence as a first-year pro following two seasons with the Bemidji State University Beavers. The Clinton, Ontario, native was signed by Boston to an entry-level contract on Apr. 22, 2009.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Providence Road Game Party Tonight

February 16, 2011





Murphy's Deli & Bar will be hosting a Providence Bruins Road Game Party tonight February 16, 2011. The B's start the first of a home and home series on enemy ice against their bitter rival the Portland Pirates. There will be good food, give-aways, and a good time in a great bar.

Murphy's is located at 100 Fountain St. in Providence, RI

Monday, February 14, 2011

Caron Returns To Providence

Just reviewed this tweet by AdamMKaufman
Jordan Caron has been assigned to Providence by Boston. Expect to see Caron, Zach Hamill and Jeremy Reich reunited on Wednesday at Portland.

Good to know. Thanks Adam

TC

Wednesday Night Road Game

Watch The Game at Murphy's
February 14, 2011
by T. Chace Jr.

Murphy's Deli & Bar
will be hosting a Providence Bruins Road Game Party on Wednesday night February 16, 2011. The B's start the first of a home and home series on enemy ice against their bitter rival the Portland Pirates. There will be good food, give-aways, and a good time in a great bar.


Murphy's Deli & Bar is located at 100 Fountain St. in Providence, RI.

Zach Hamill Returned To Boston

Third-Year Pro Appeared in Three Games for Parent Bruins
February 13, 2011


The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have assigned forward Zach Hamill to the P-Bruins.

Hamill, 22, was recalled by Boston on Feb. 3 and appeared in three games for the parent Bruins, earning one assist. He averaged just over 10 minutes of ice-time per game.

The third-year pro has suited up in 44 games for Providence this season and ranks second on the club in scoring with 28 points, including a team-best 25 assists. On the year, he's contributed six multiple-point games and two six-game point-streaks. Hamill recently recorded his 100th professional point with a goal at Connecticut on Jan. 15.

Hamill was previously recalled late last season and made his NHL debut for Boston at Washington on Apr. 11, 2010, during which he tallied an assist for his first NHL point. Hamill earned Providence's 3 Stars Award in 2009-10 and finished second on the club with 44 points in 75 games. Both his 14 goals and 30 assists stand as career-highs to date.

The center was selected eighth overall in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Boston. Prior to turning pro late in the 2007-08 campaign, the native of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, spent five junior seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips, where he had 299 points (97g, 202a) in 312 contests between the regular season and postseason.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Providence Bruins vs. Hershey Bears - 2/11/11

Providence Bruins_Springfield Falcons - 2/4/11

Providence Adds Two Players

Forwards Riendeau and Timberlake Return from ECHL
February 10, 2011


The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that they have added forwards Yannick Riendeau and Devin Timberlake from the ECHL's Reading Royals. Riendeau was reassigned to Providence by the Boston Bruins, while Timberlake was signed by the P-Bruins to a Professional Tryout Agreement.

Riendeau, 22, began the season in Providence and went scoreless in five games before being reassigned to Reading on Nov. 16, 2010. Since, the second-year pro has recorded 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in 31 ECHL outings, including a 13-point, 10-game point-streak, during which he totaled five goals and eight assists.

In his first professional season in 2009-10, Riendeau scored five points in 22 games for the P-Bruins, including one goal and four helpers. The right wing added three goals and two assists in six contests for Reading during the regular season, before posting the same totals in five postseason games with the Royals.

Prior to turning pro, Riendeau enjoyed a standout junior season in 2008-09 with Drummondville, where he led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in scoring during both the regular season and the playoffs. In 64 regular season games, the native of Boucherville, Quebec scored 58 goals and tallied 68 assists for 126 points before adding 52 points, including 29 goals, in just 19 postseason contests. Riendeau's playoff totals set Voltigeurs franchise records, while his 16 postseason power play goals set a QMJHL record. His postseason performance earned him the league's Guy Lafleur Trophy as the Playoff Most Valuable Player. Riendeau was signed to an entry-level contract by Boston on Apr. 2, 2009.

Timberlake, 25, is in his first full professional season following four years at Brown University and a brief stint in Providence to close out the 2009-10 campaign. He has spent the entire season in Reading after joining the P-Bruins in training camp, and he has chipped in seven goals and six assists for 13 points in 30 games for the Royals.

Last year, the right wing signed an Amateur Tryout Agreement with Providence on Mar. 26, 2010 and scored two goals in his six AHL games. Prior, the Bears' co-captain enjoyed a career-year with personal-bests in games (37), points (25) and assists (20) as a senior, while also being named to his fourth straight ECAC All-Academic Team. Timberlake was also named the co-recipient of Brown's Patrick Jones Memorial Trophy for drive and enthusiasm.

Over his four seasons at Brown from 2006-10, the undrafted native of Port Alberni, British Columbia, suited up for 110 games with 61 points (19g, 42a) and 146 PIM.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Monday, February 7, 2011

With Savard Out, Roster Expands

Rookie Jordan Caron Returning To Boston
February 7, 2011

The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have recalled forward Jordan Caron from Providence. Caron will join the parent Bruins for Tuesday's practice at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, MA at 10:30 a.m.

Caron began the season in Boston, where he appeared in 20 games and scored three goals and added four assists for seven points. The 20-year-old rookie right wing was assigned to Providence on Dec. 6, 2010 and went on to suit up for 27 AHL contests, contributing six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. Caron led all P-Bruins in scoring in January with 13 points and shared a high of six goals.

Prior to turning pro, Caron spent four seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Rimouski Oceanic and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, totaling 116 goals and 120 assists for 236 points in 237 games between the regular season and playoffs. He played parts of his first four years with Rimouski before a trade to Rouyn-Noranda on Jan. 7, 2010. Caron also won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

The Sayabec, Quebec, native was selected by Boston 25th overall in round one of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Friday, February 4, 2011

Zach Hamill Called Up To Boston

Hamill Recalled From P'Bruins
Third-Year Forward Ranks Second in Scoring for P-Bruins

The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, tonight announced that the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins have recalled forward Zach Hamill from Providence. Hamill will join the parent Bruins for Friday's practice at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, MA at 11:30 a.m.

Hamill, 22, has appeared in 44 games for Providence this season and ranks second on the club in scoring with 28 points, including a team-best 25 assists. On the year, he's contributed six multiple-point games and two six-game point-streaks. Hamill recently recorded his 100th professional point with a goal at Connecticut on Jan. 15.

This is the second career call-up for the third-year pro, who was previously recalled late last season and made his NHL debut for Boston at Washington on Apr. 11, 2010, during which he tallied an assist for his first NHL point. Hamill earned Providence's 3 Stars Award in 2009-10 and finished second on the club with 44 points in 75 games prior to his call-up to Boston. Both his 14 goals and 30 assists stand as career-highs to date.

The center was selected eighth overall in the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by Boston. Prior to turning pro late in the 2007-08 campaign, the native of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, spent five junior seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Everett Silvertips, where he had 299 points (97g, 202a) in 312 contests between the regular season and postseason.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Antoine Roussel Recalled From Reading

Feisty Rookie Forward Appeared in Three Games for Reading
February 3, 2011

The Providence Bruins, in their 19th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that they have recalled forward Antoine Roussel from the ECHL's Reading Royals. Roussel, 21, was assigned to Reading on Jan. 29 and went on to appear in three games for the Royals while recording one assist. The rookie forward has dressed in 25 contests for Providence this season, tallying five assists and a plus-four rating. The undrafted native of Roubaix, France, signed an AHL contract with Providence on Aug. 9, 2010 after spending four junior seasons with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In juniors, Roussel registered 154 points, including 63 goals, in 272 games between the regular season and playoffs.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Providence Set To Make Playoff Run


Providence Coming Together
By Thomas Chace Jr.
February 1, 2011


On Friday January 7th, a watershed moment took place for the Providence Bruins hockey club. The team’s captain, Trent Whitfield, was making his debut after suffering a serious Achilles tendon injury in his off-season workouts. After skating hard for three weeks with the team at practice, he was cleared to return to face the Atlantic Division leading Manchester Monarchs at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence. The game was going to be meaningful on several levels. The Bruins home record had been abysmal to this point and as the halfway point in the season approached, the Monarchs had just whipped Providence 7-3 a week earlier. The Bruins, losers of four of five games, were hoping to kick start the second half of their season.

The daunting task of playing Manchester at home was to be followed by a road trip to face the best team in the AHL, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins and the talented Binghamton Senators. The return of Whitfield and the solid goaltending of rookie Matt Dalton enabled Providence to shutout the Monarchs with a 3-0 victory. Head Coach, Rob Murray, asked the team to “approach every game as the biggest of the year, we’ve got to be more consistent, and approach each game with a little bit of desperation. This was a huge game; you’ve got the second best team in the AHL coming in here and they embarrassed us last week.”

Following the big win against Manchester, the team bused right out after the game for a five hour ride to Wilkes-Barre, PA to face the AHL’s best team. The ride actually took seven hours due to inclement weather, but the Bruins garnered a point that night after losing in overtime 2-1. Goaltender Nolan Schaefer made 50 saves and was named the 2nd star of the game. After another bus ride to Binghamton, NY for an afternoon game, the weary Bruins suffered a 5-3 loss. However, the three point weekend was considered a success.

Wilkes-Barre arrived in Providence for a rematch on the following Friday and registered a 2-0 victory in a well played game in front of 9300 fans. Nolan Schaefer was announced as the 3rd star for his solid performance in net again, despite the loss. Providence traveled to Connecticut on Saturday to face The Whale and held on for a 3-2 victory. Max Sauve scored the game winning goal; Sauve leads the entire AHL in that category. On Sunday, Providence’s other net minder, rookie Matt Dalton, made 45 saves as the Bruins shut out the Worcester Sharks on home ice, 2-0. Tuesday, the Bruins traveled to Bridgeport and were victorious again as they won in a shootout, 3-2.

On Friday, January 21st, the Manchester Monarchs returned to Providence and were beaten again, 5-2. Once again, Max Sauve had the game winner as the B’s extended their winning streak to four games. A road trip to rival and now division-leading Portland, ME resulted in a Bruins 5-2 loss. Providence responded by winning three more games in a row including another big home win in a rematch against Portland.

The team now plays with an expectation of winning as opposed to wondering what will derail them next during each game. Murray explains that the turnaround “comes with a little bit of success. It coincides with two things, the return of Trent Whitfield and we’re getting very good goaltending. There is a different attitude, a different feel with the team now. I feel we’re a pretty good team now, I couldn’t say that a month ago.”

The Providence Bruins are making a push for the playoffs with goaltending that is giving the team a chance to win every night, and a feeling of confidence that every game is winnable.