Projo Bruins Blog

The Boston Bruins announced today that forward Peter Schaefer has been released from the club and will be placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Providence (AHL), forwards Nate Thompson and Jeremy Reich have been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Providence (AHL), defenseman Matt Hunwick has been assigned to Providence (AHL), and forward Carl Soderberg has been assigned to Malmo (Sweden2).

After these moves, 23 players remain on the Bruins roster.

Schaefer appeared in 63 regular season games for the Boston Bruins last year and tallied 9-17-26 totals. In the postseason, Schaefer played in all seven contests and contributed one goal and three assists. He was acquired by the Bruins from the Ottawa Senators on July 17, 2007 in exchange for forward Shean Donovan.

Reich played in 58 regular season games for Boston last season and notched 2-2-4 totals and 78 penalty minutes. He also appeared in four postseason games. Signed by the Bruins as a free agent on August 30, 2005, Reich was originally drafted in the second round (39th overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Thompson spent the entire 2007-2008 season in Providence and set professional career highs in goals (19), assists (20) and games played (75). Thompson was Boston's eighth round pick (183rd overall) in the
2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Hunwick spent the majority of the 2007-2008 season in Providence where he posted 2-21-23 totals in 55 games. He was recalled to Boston on four separate occasions last year and tallied one assist in 13 games. The University of Michigan graduate was drafted by the Bruins in the seventh round (224th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

In 42 games played for Malmo in 2007-2008, Soderberg notched 22 goals and 36 assists. Acquired from St. Louis on July 23, 2007 in exchange for Hannu Toivonen, the 22-year-old Malmo, Sweden native was originally selected by the Blues in the second round (49th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

In addition, defenseman Mike Egener has announced his retirement from professional hockey. Egener was signed by the Bruins as a free agent on August 28, 2008 and was waived on September 28, 2008. Selected by Tampa Bay in the second round (34th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the 23-year-old played for four years in the AHL, appearing in 205 games and recording 6-8-14 totals.

Center Martin St. Pierre has cleared waivers and has been assigned to the Providence Bruins. Providence now has 28 players in its camp, including 15 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goaltenders.

St. Pierre, 25, is entering his fifth pro season and first with Boston after being acquired in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks for Pascal Pelletier on July 24, 2008. The three-time AHL All-Star forward has registered 331 points (91g, 240a) in 309 pro games, including four points (g, 3a) in 21 NHL contests with Chicago. St. Pierre spent most of last season with the AHL's Rockford Ice Hogs, notching 88 points (21g, 67a) in 69 games to lead the Hogs in scoring and finish second in the AHL in both points and assists. The Second Team AHL All-Star also added 14 playoff points (2g, 12a) in 12 contests. His regular season totals were just shy of the career-best 27 goals, 72 assists and 99 points he posted the previous season with the Norfolk Admirals. The Embrun, Ontario, native began his pro career with the ECHL's Greenville Grrrowl and Edmonton Roadrunners of the AHL in 2004-05 after finishing up a four-year junior career with the Guelph Storm. While in the OHL, the undrafted forward scored 320 points (108g, 212a) in 257 games.

The Providence Bruins will open training camp Friday at the Rhode Island Sports Center in North Smithfield and run through Tuesday, October 7. The practices on Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 are open to the public. The P-Bruins will also have three preseason games as part of the preseason schedule, beginning on Wednesday, October 1 versus the Springfield Falcons at 7:05 p.m. at the New England Sports Center. Here is the full training camp schedule:

Friday: Practice at Rhode Island Sports Center, 1:40 p.m. to 3:40 p.m.
Saturday: Practice at Rhode Island Sports Center, 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Sunday: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Monday: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon
Wednesday: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10-10 a.m.; exhibition game vs. Springfield at New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. 7 p.m.
Thursday, October 2: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon
Friday, October 3: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10-11 a.m.; exhibition game vs. Lowell at Dunkin' Donuts Center,7:05 p.m.
Saturday, October 4: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10-11 a.m.; exhibition game at Springfield, 7 p.m.
Sunday, October 5: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon
Monday, October 6: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon
Tuesday, October 7: Practice at Dunkin' Donuts Center, 10 a.m. to noon

The Providence Bruins' opening night at The Dunk is Wednesday, October 8 versus the Lowell Devils at 7:05 p.m.

The Bruins announced today that forward Maxime Sauve has been returned to his junior club, Val d'Or of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The 18-year-old native of Boisbriand, Quebec was the Bruins second round pick (47th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Sauve made his Bruins exhibition debut Tuesday night during Boston's 2-1 overtime loss to the New York Islanders.

44 players now remain in camp. The Bruins play Thursday night at 6 p.m. ET against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings at the Halifax Metro Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Bruins made their first training-camp cuts this morning, sending four players to the Providence Bruins, returning three to their junior teams, and releasing three others.

Sent to Providence were Scott Fletcher, Kevin Nastiuk, Levi Nelson and Wacey Rabbit.

Returned to their junior teams were Jamie Arniel (Sarnia), Michael Hutchinson (Barrie) and Denis Reul (Lewiston).

The final three players were invited to camp on Amateur Tryout Agreements (ATO), and are being released from those agreements: Yuri Cheremetiev, Arthur Fritch and Doug Krantz.

The Bruins today signed free-agent center Stephane Yelle to a contract.

A 12-year veteran of 844 regular season games and 154 postseason contests, Yelle comes to the Bruins having won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and 2001. Yelle made his NHL debut during the 1995-1996 season with Colorado and played in all 22 of the Avalanche's playoff games during their Stanley Cup title run. During his rookie year in 95-96, Yelle tallied a career best 13 goals and 14 assists in the regular season and added one goal and four assists in the playoffs. When the Avs captured the Cup a second time in 2000-2001, Yelle again appeared in every playoff game (23) and registered a goal and two assists in the postseason to go along with 4-10-14 totals in the regular season.

He played a total of seven seasons in Colorado, appearing in 505 games with 54 goals and 89 assists.

Yelle spent the last five seasons with the Calgary Flames. On October 1, 2002, he and Chris Drury were traded by Colorado to the Flames in exchange for Dean McAmmond, Derek Morris and Jeff Shantz. During those five years, Yelle contributed 31 goals and 65 assists. Last season, Yelle tallied three goals and nine assists in 74 regular season games and added two goals in seven postseason contests.

The 34-year-old Ottawa, Ontario native was originally drafted in the 8th round (186th overall) of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Yelle was dealt to Quebec on June 1, 1994 and then relocated with the franchise to Colorado on June 21, 1995.

The Providence Bruins announced today that the parent Boston Bruins have signed unrestricted free agent defensemen Ryan Stokes and Mike Egener.

Stokes, 25, enters his fifth season of professional hockey after spending last year with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. There the undrafted blue-liner scored a career-high four goals while matching a personal-best with 10 points during the regular season before also appearing in 12 playoff games. Prior to Stokes' time with the IceHogs, the Corruna, Ontario, native played parts of three seasons with the Houston Aeros after debuting in 2004-05 with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL. As a pro, Stokes has 41 points, including nine goals, and 541 penalty minutes in 268 games.

Egener, 24, also begins his fifth year at the professional ranks after splitting time in 2007-08 between the AHL's Norfolk Admirals and the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL. Overall, Egener appeared in 26 games while tallying four points and 41 PIM. In his career, the native of Lahr, Germany, has 19 points, including nine goals, and 584 PIM in 202 contests, 158 of those with the Springfield Falcons. Eneger was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning 34th overall in round two of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.