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.