Zach McKelvie Sent to Reading Again

Defenseman Appeared in 38 Games for Providence
March 30, 2012

The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Boston Bruins have reassigned defenseman Zach McKelvie to the Reading Royals of the ECHL.

McKelvie, 27, has a goal, assist and 46 penalty minutes in 38 games for Providence this season. The defenseman is a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy. The Brighton, Minnesota native notched 14-42=56 totals in four years with the Black Knights (AHA). Signed to a one-year contract in July, McKelvie originally signed with the Bruins in 2009, however contractual obligations with the US Army prevented him from moving forward with his hockey career at that time. He captained the Black Knights during his senior season, scoring 17 points and a career-high five goals. In 2009, the defenseman was selected as a first-team All-Atlantic Hockey Association all-star for the second consecutive year and named the Beukema Award winner as the Black Knight's MVP. The 6'2", 200 - lb defenseman won the fastest skater competition at the Frozen Four in 2009.

The Royals (35-38-3-4, 77 PTS) are currently in third place in the Atlantic Division. Last season, the Royals clinched first place in the Atlantic Division with a 44-23-2-3 record. The club advanced to the second round of the playoffs, before falling to the Kalamazoo Wings in four games. McKelvie joins former P-Bruins Rob Kwiet, Olivier Labelle and Karel St. Laurent.



*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

College Boys Bring Spring Break to Providence

Florek, Trotman, and Tremblay All Contribute
March 27, 2012
By Thomas Chace Jr.

Recent weekends have not been kind to the Providence Bruins of late.  Several weeks ago their starting goaltender, Anton Khudobin suffered a glove hand injury trying to play the puck in a game in which Providence led, but ultimately lost.  The next two games were losses as well and then Boston lost the services of their netminder, Tuukka Rask to injury.  Providence was forced to turn to Karel St. Laurent and Adam Courchaine when Providence’s other goalie Michael Hutchinson was recalled by Boston. 

At the same time, due to a rash of injuries on both Bruins teams, many players shuffled up and down Rt. 95 or could not play altogether.  When you’re battling for your playoff life, this was not the best case scenario for Head Coach Bruce Cassidy.

However, this past weekend brought much needed relief.  Several college students made Providence their spring break destination and the team, with Khudobin’s return has rebounded with enthusiasm and wins.  A six point weekend has the Providence Bruins just two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Justin Florek was Friday night’s unlikely hero. He arrived in Providence around 1:00 am in the morning from Northern Michigan University, practiced at 10:30 with his new team, signed an ATO agreement at 5:00 pm, and then promptly went out and scored 2 goals and got 2 assists leading Providence to a 5-2 victory over one of the many teams ahead of them, the Manchester Monarchs.  Florek was not supposed to even play but sickness to Colby Cohen put Florek in the lineup as the 13^th forward. 

Florek was still running on adrenaline after the game.  “It was fun. It’s been a pretty hectic day.  I never had four points in a game in my whole college career.”  A secondary education major, he will finish this semester, do some student teaching, and then complete his degree after his pursuit of an NHL career ends.

Saturday night’s battle in Connecticut was another test against a division leader.  On this night, it was newcomer Zach Trotman, a 6’4” defenseman from Lake Superior State who scored the winning goal in the third period to beat the Whale 3-2.  Trotman arrived in Providence on Friday night and with Cohen still out on Saturday was inserted into the P-Bruins lineup.  Florek’s screen in front of the Whale net allowed Trotman to register his first professional goal in his first pro game. 

Sunday in Providence the Bruins faced yet another team in front of them in the standings, old foe, the Portland Pirates.  Clarkson University product Nicolas Tremblay had only played in two games thus far for Providence but today was his day in the sun.  Tremblay scored with just 6:42 left in regulation to tie the game at 1-1.  After a scoreless overtime, the teams prepared for the shootout.  Providence scored on all four of their shootout attempts including one by our latest spring breaker, Tremblay.  Providence won 2-1 to complete a six point weekend and a yellow hard hat was given to Tremblay by his teammates for his efforts on Sunday. 

Anton Khudobin made a strong return from his wrist injury allowing just four goals in two games.  He faced 65 shots in those two games and with Rask still out in Boston and Marty Turco unable to play in the NHL playoffs, the scuttlebutt has Khudobin possibly being recalled to Boston early this week. 

Spring of course, brings hope, and to Providence a well deserved break.  Those college kids just re-energized the franchise for the weekend, now they hope to pull off a great run and get into the playoffs.  Of course, none of those boys will be eligible to play, but that’s ok.

After the six point weekend, Coach Cassidy said, “Two or three weeks ago, it didn’t look good.   We were losing bodies and games, but all of a sudden we’re back in it. Why not us?  We’ve given ourselves a chance and that’s good for all the guys.”  Agreed.

Whitfield Back to Providence

Captain Returns to P-Bruins
March 26, 2012


BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned forward Trent Whitfield to the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League). Whitfield was recalled to Boston on March 20 and traveled with the team on their three-game road trip in California but did not see any game action.

With Providence this season, the 5’11, 209-pound Whitfield has seven goals and seven assists, combining for 14 total points in 43 games. In the 2010-11 season, Whitfield finished fourth in the P-Bruins scoring race with 18-18=36 totals, despite playing just 45 games after missing the first half of the season due to injury.

The 34-year-old is in his 14th professional season, and has appeared in 194 NHL games with four different organizations. After spending time with the Washington Capitals, NY Rangers, and St. Louis Blues, Whitfield has accumulated 11 goals and 18 assists, giving him 29 career NHL points. In the 2009-10 season, Whitfield appeared in 16 games with the Bruins and registered one assist.

Whitfield was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the Boston organization until signing as a free agent in July, 2009.


*Press release from the Boston Bruins.

College Boys Swoop In and Score

Two New Providence Players
March 24, 2012
Thomas Chace Jr.

I'll write more about this weekend on Monday but here's what has happened already. Goaltender Anton Khudobin has started and played both games this weekend thus far and has two wins.  He is returning from a left wrist injury and is quite likely to see some time in Boston very soon.

On Friday, after flying into Providence, practicing in the morning and signing an ATO Agreement at 5:00 pm, Justin Florek went out and scored 2 goals and assisted on two others in a 5-2 win over Manchester.

As I waited to interview Florek on his historic night there was a tall blonde guy outside the locker room. That guy was Zach Trotman.  He scored the game winning goal in Connecticut on Saturday night in a 3-2 Providence victory.

Here are their stats, more to follow on Monday. See you then.

Justin Florek
Forward
Born May 18 1990  -- Marquette, MI 
Height 6.04 -- Weight 194 -- Shoots L


Selected by Boston Bruins round 5 #135 overall 2010 NHL Entry Draft

                                            --- Regular Season ---  ---- Playoffs ----
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2006-07  USNTDP Under-18 Team        NAHL   47   11   10   21   40
2007-08  USNTDP Under-18 Team        NAHL   13    3    3    6    8
2008-09  Northern Michigan Univers   CCHA   40    9    8   17    6
2009-10  Northern Michigan Univers   CCHA   41   12   23   35   22
2010-11  Northern Michigan Univers   CCHA   39   13   15   28   14
2011-12  Northern Michigan Univers   CCHA   37   19   17   36   18
2011-12  Providence Bruins           AHL     1    2    2    4    0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zach Trotman
Defense
Born Aug 26 1990  -- Carmel, IN 
Height 6.04 -- Weight 202 -- Shoots R


Selected by Boston Bruins round 7 #210 overall 2010 NHL Entry Draft

                                            --- Regular Season ---  ---- Playoffs ----
Season   Team                        Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM  GP   G   A Pts PIM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008-09  Wichita Falls Wildcats      NAHL   47    2    4    6   79
2009-10  Lake Superior State Unive   CCHA   36    2    6    8   18
2010-11  Lake Superior State Unive   CCHA   38    6   14   20   12
2011-12  Lake Superior State Unive   CCHA   40   11   10   21   12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Current statistics as of 2012-03-24

Providence Bruins Affected by Three Moves

Boston Bruins Shuffling and Trading Players

March 21, 2012

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled forward Trent Whitfield from the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League) and has assigned Max Sauve to the Providence Bruins. Whitfield is expected to join the team on Wednesday, March 21 for their upcoming three-game road trip through San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim. Chiarelli also announced the team has traded defenseman Yury Alexandrov to the New York Islanders for future considerations.

With Providence this season, the 5'11'', 209 pound Whitfield has seven goals and seven assists, combining for 14 total points in 43 games. In the 2010-11 season, Whitfield finished fourth in the P-Bruins scoring race with 18-18=36 totals, despite playing just 45 games after missing the first half of the season due to injury.

The 34-year-old is in his 14th professional season, and has appeared in 194 NHL games with four different organizations. After spending time with the Washington Capitals, NY Rangers, and St. Louis Blues, Whitfield has accumulated 11 goals and 18 assists, giving him 29 career NHL points. In the 2009-10 season, Whitfield appeared in 16 games with Boston and registered one assist.

Whitfield was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the Boston organization until signing as a free agent in July, 2009.

Sauve was recalled on March 10 to Boston on an emergency basis and made his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 11.

With Providence this season, the 6'0'', 185-pound Sauve has seven goals and ten assists in 30 games. He played his first full pro season with Providence in the 2010-11 season, ranking second on the team in goals (21) and third overall in the club's scoring race with 21-17=38 totals.

Sauve was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (47th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

This season, Alexandrov played in 37 Kontinental Hockey League games in Russia split between St. Petersburg SKA and Omsk Avangard and recorded three goals and three assists for six points. He spent the 2010-11 season with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League and skated in 66 games with 6-13=19 totals and 44 penalty minutes.

The 23-year-old native of Cherepovets, Russia was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (37th overall) of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com  

Providence Bruins Shuffle Roster Again

Trent Whitfield and Nicolas Tremblay Join Team
March 16, 2012


P-BRUINS SIGN TREMBLAY TO ATO

Clarkson Standout Joins the Fold

Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that they have signed forward Nicolas Tremblay to an Amateur Tryout Agreement.

Tremblay, 23, is a four-year product of Clarkson University, where he recently completed his senior season for the Golden Knights. As an assistant captain this season, the center tallied a career-high 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points in 37 games. In four collegiate seasons, the Candiac, PQ, native totaled 88 points (33g, 55a) and 68 penalty minutes in 143 contests.

Tremblay was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round (173rd overall) in 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

__________________________________________________________________________

BRUINS ASSIGN WHITFIELD

Boston, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned forward Trent Whitfield to the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League). Whitfield was recalled on Monday, March 12 on an emergency basis and made his 2011-12 debut for Boston at Tampa on March 13. Whitfield is expected to join the Providence Bruins in their next game against the Worcester Sharks on Friday, March 16th at Worcester.

With Providence this season, the 5’11’’, 209 pound center has five goals and six assists, combining for 11 total points in 41 games. In the 2010-11 season, Whitfield finished fourth in the P-Bruins scoring race with 18-18=36 totals, despite playing just 45 games after missing the first half of the season due to injury.

The 34-year-old is in his 14th professional season, and has appeared in 194 NHL games with four different organizations. After spending time with the Washington Capitals, NY Rangers, and St. Louis Blues, Whitfield has accumulated 11 goals and 18 assists, giving him 29 career NHL points. In the 2009-10 season, Whitfield appeared in 16 games with Boston and registered one assist.

Whitfield was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the Boston organization until signing as a free agent in July, 2009.

The P-Bruins' roster is now comprised of 25 players, including 15 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

McKelvie Sent to Reading

Defenseman Appeared in 35 Games for Providence
March 14, 2012


Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Boston Bruins have reassigned defenseman Zach McKelvie to the Reading Royals (ECHL).

McKelvie, 27 has a goal, assist and 39 penalty minutes in 35 games for Providence this season. The defenseman is a 2009 graduate of the United States Military Academy. The Brighton, Minnesota native notched 14-42=56 totals in four years with the Black Knights (AHA). Signed to a one-year contract in July, McKelvie originally signed with the Bruins in 2009, however contractual obligations with the US Army prevented him from moving forward with his hockey career at that time. He captained the Black Knights during his senior season, scoring 17 points and a career-high five goals. In 2009, the defenseman was selected as a first-team All-Atlantic Hockey Association all-star for the second consecutive year and named the Beukema Award winner as the Black Knight's MVP. The 6'2", 200 - lb defenseman won the fastest skater competition at the Frozen Four in 2009.

The Royals (29-26-3-4, 65 PTS) are currently in third place in the Atlantic Division. Last season, the Royals clinched first place in the Atlantic Division with a 44-23-2-3 record. The club advanced to the second round of the playoffs, before falling to the Kalamazoo Wings in four games. McKelvie joins former P-Bruins Rob Kwiet, Olivier Labelle and Karel St. Laurent.

* Information gathered from www.providencebruins,com

MacDermid Back in Fold For Providence

Rugged Winger Held His Own in Boston
March 13, 2012


Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has assigned Lane MacDermid to the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League). MacDermid was recalled on March 3 on an emergency basis and played five games with the NHL club.

With Providence this season, the 6'3'', 205 pound center has four goals and 10 assists, combining for 14 total points with 106 PIM in 57 AHL games. In the 2010-11 season, MacDermid, 22, recorded seven goals, 12 assists and 158 penalty minutes, which ranked third on the P-Bruins.

In his AHL career, MacDermid has 13 goals, 25 assists and 419 penalty minutes in 230 games over three seasons in Providence.

MacDermid was originally drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round (112th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.      


* Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com
   

Sauve Injured; Whitfield Recalled

Max Sauve Hurt in Penguins Game
The Captain is Recalled
March 12, 2012


Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled forward Trent Whitfield from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis (American Hockey League). Whitfield - who serves as captain for the P-Bruins - is expected to join the team on Monday, March 12 for their 2:00 p.m. practice at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, FL, and be available for their game against the Lightning on March 13.

This marks Whitfield's first recall to Boston this year. With Providence this season, the 5'11'', 209 pound center has five goals and six assists, combining for 11 total points in 41 games. In the 2010-11 season, Whitfield finished fourth in the P-Bruins scoring race with 18-18=36 totals, despite playing just 45 games after missing the first half of the season due to injury.

The 34-year-old is in his 14th professional season, and has appeared in 193 NHL games with three different organizations. After spending time with the Washington Capitals, NY Rangers, and St. Louis Blues, Whitfield has accumulated 11 goals and 18 assists, giving him 29 career NHL points. In the 2009-10 season, Whitfield appeared in 16 games with Boston and registered one assist.

Whitfield was originally drafted by Boston in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, but did not play in the Boston organization until signing as a free agent in July, 2009.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Providence Signs Two Brown Players

Bobby Farnham and Mike Clemente Join the Fold
Marc8, 2012


Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that they have signed forward Bobby Farnham and goaltender Mike Clemente to Amateur Tryout Agreements.

Farnham, 23, is a four-year product of Brown University, where he recently completed his senior season for the Brown Bears. As an assistant captain this season, the forward tallied a career-high 13 assists in 31 games, adding eight goals for a career-high 21 points. In four collegiate seasons, the North Andover, Massachusetts, native totaled 54 points (23g, 31a) and 128 penalty minutes in 129 contests.

Clemente, 22, also recently concluded his college career at Brown, finishing his senior season with a 32-54-14 record. A Great Falls, Virginia, native, the goaltender compiled a 8-15-3 record and 2.68 goals-against-average and .907 save percentage as a senior.

The P-Bruins' roster is comprised of 27 players, including 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Max Sauve Recalled To Boston

Sauve Recalled While Hutchinson is re-assigned To Providence
March 8, 2012


Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled forward Max Sauve from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis (American Hockey League) and has assigned goalie Michael Hutchinson to the Providence Bruins. Sauve is expected to join the team this morning for their 10:30 a.m. Morning Skate at the TD Garden, and be available for their 7:00 p.m. home game against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

With Providence this season, the 6'0'', 185-pound Sauve has seven goals and ten assists in 29 games. He played his first full pro season with Providence in the 2010-11 season, ranking second on the team in goals (21) and third overall in the club's scoring race with 21-17=38 totals.

Prior to playing in Providence, Sauve played three full seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2006-2009, splitting his time between the Quebec Remparts and Val d'Or Foreurs. He reached career highs in the 2008-09 season with Val d'Or Foreurs with 27 goals and 49 assists, giving him 76 points on the season. He split the 2009-10 season between Val d'Or Foreurs and Providence.

Sauve was originally drafted by the Bruins in the second round (47th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Hutchinson was recalled on March 3rd and joined the Bruins on their two day road trip in New York and Toronto and served as the team's backup goalie. In 18 appearances with Providence this season, Hutchinson is 6-11-0 with a 2.62 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage.

Hutchinson was originally drafted by the Bruins in the third round (77th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Providence Bruins_Adirondack Phantoms

March 2, 2012

Slideshow

Providence Clear Day Roster Announced

List Features Five Players with NHL Time this Season

March 6, 2012

Providence, RI - The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, announced their Clear Day roster this morning, consisting of the maximum two goaltenders and 20 skaters.

According to AHL bylaws, only the players listed on a team's Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the 2011-12 regular season and 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension. Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout agreements after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

The P-Bruins' Clear Day roster consists of goalies Anton Khudobin and Michael Hutchinson, forwards Jamie Arniel, Carter Camper, Craig Cunningham, Zach Hamill, Josh Hennessy, Lane MacDermid, Kirk MacDonald, Kyle MacKinnon, Calle Ridderwall, Bobby Robins, Maxime Sauvé, Jared Staal, Jamie Tardif and Trent Whitfield. They are joined by defensemen Matt Bartkowski, Andrew Bodnarchuk, Colby Cohen, Nathan McIver, Kevan Miller and David Warsofsky.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com.

A Staal Brother on Loan to Providence

Jared Stall Added to Roster
Forward Skated in 37 Games for Charlotte
March 6, 2012

The Providence Bruins, in their 20th season in the American Hockey League, today announced that the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) have loaned forward Jared Staal to the P-Bruins.

Staal, of Thunder Bay, ON, has skated in 37 games for the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) this season, recording 3-3=6 totals.

Originally selected by the Phoenix Coyotes in 49th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry, Staal made his professional debut in 2009 with the San Antonio Rampage. Prior to turning pro, Staal played three seasons with the Sudbury Wolves (OHL), reaching the finals in 2006-07 before falling to the Plymouth Whalers.

The 6'4", 214-pound right wing, split last season between Charlotte and Florida (ECHL). In 33 games with the Everblades, Staal tallied six goals and added five assists.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

Boston Bruins Injuries Force Recalls

"Hutch" and Lane Macdermid Recalled by Boston
March 3, 2012

Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has recalled goaltender Michael Hutchinson and forward Lane MacDermid from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis (American Hockey League). Both players are expected to join the team in New York and be available for Sunday afternoon's game against the New York Rangers (12:30 p.m. ET, TV: NBC, RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub).

Hutchinson joined the Bruins once this season on a previous recall for a practice at the TD Garden on January 30 after the All-Star Break. In 18 games with Providence this season, Hutchinson is 6-11-0 with a 2.62 goals against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage.

In the 2010-11 season Hutchinson went 13-10-1 in 28 games with the P-Bruins. He had a 3.13 GAA and .904 save percentage. Prior to joining Providence, Hutchinson played four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights and Barrie Colts.

Hutchinson was originally drafted by the Bruins in the third round (77th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

This marks the first NHL recall of Lane MacDermid's career. The 6'3'' 205-pound forward has four goals, 10 assists and 106 penalty minutes in 57 games this season for Providence. Last year he recorded seven goals, 12 assists and 158 penalty minutes, which ranked third on the P-Bruins. In his AHL career, MacDermid has 13 goals, 25 assists and 419 penalty minutes in 230 games over three seasons in Providence.

MacDermid was originally drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round (112th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com