The Bruins announced yesterday that they signed six players to AHL contracts. Forwards Samuel Asselin and Brendan Woods were signed to two-year deals, while forward Robert Lantosi and defensemen Chris Breen, Joel Messner, and Alexey Solovyev were all signed to one-year deals. Here’s a short write-up on each player.
- Samuel Asselin, F. Asselin spent last season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. In 68 appearances for the Mooseheads, he tallied 48 goals and 38 assists. He led the league in goals and also had the most goals by a Halifax player since 1994. He was also named to the QMJHL’s Second All-Star team. He also appeared in 22 playoff games for the Mooseheads, in which he recorded nine goals and eight assists. He then added three goals and two assists in two Memorial Cup games. Asselin has spent the past four seasons in the QMJHL, during which time he has appeared in 247 games for three different teams and put up 82 goals and 118 assists. The 21-year-old center from L’Assomption, Quebec was an undrafted free agent and this is his first professional contract.
- Brendan Woods, F. Woods spent last season with the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. In 53 games for the Comets, he tallied seven goals and ten assists. He has spent the past two seasons with Utica, and before that he spent four seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes organization. Drafted in the fifth round (129th overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, Woods has appeared in seven career NHL games, in which he has zero points. In 262 career AHL games, he has 39 goals and 46 assists. The 27-year-old left wing has played for two organizations over his six professional seasons after turning pro following his sophomore season at the University of Wisconsin.
- Chris Breen, D. Breen spent last season with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. In 47 games with the team last season, he had two goals and nine assists. He has spent the past five seasons with Providence, and the past four as an alternate captain. Signed by the Calgary Flames as an undrafted free agent during the 2009-10 season after the end of his season with the Petersborough Petes of the OHL, Breen has appeared in nine career NHL games, all with the Flames during the 2013-14 season, in which he has tallied zero goals and two assists. In 509 career AHL games, he has produced 16 goals and 63 assists. The 30-year-old defenseman has played for two organizations over his nine-year professional career and is remaining with his team of the past five seasons as previously mentioned.
- Robert Lantosi, F. Lantosi spent last season with Nitra MHC of the Slovak Tipsport Liga, which is Slovakia’s top hockey league. In 56 games with them, he produced at over a point per game pace with 20 goals and 38 assists. He served as an alternate captain for the team as well. He was never drafted, and this is his first year playing in North America. The 23-year-old right-wing has been a pro for five seasons, playing primarily in the SuperElit league in Sweden for four seasons before switching to the Slovak Liga.
- Joel Messner, D. Messner spent time with the Bruins’ AHL and ECHL affiliates last season, the Providence Bruins and the Atlanta Gladiators, respectively. In 32 games with Providence, he recorded one goal and six assists, and in 27 games with Atlanta, he tallied six goals and 12 assists. Before that, he spent four seasons with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, serving as captain his senior year. In 135 games with the team, he produced seven goals and 35 assists. He signed with Providence last season as an undrafted free agent, and it is the only professional team the 25-year-old defenseman has ever known.
- Alexey Solovyev, D. Solovyev spent last season with Bentley University in the NCAA’s division. In 37 games for them, he produced five goals and eight assists. He spent four seasons with the team, compiling 14 goals and 29 assists in 129 games. He was never drafted, and this is his first year as a pro.
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