Bruins sign six skaters to minor-league deals
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Bruins continued to shore up their organizational depth on Monday, as Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed the signings of Samuel Asselin and Brendan Woods to two-year, AHL contracts. Sweeney also announced that the team signed Chris Breen, Robert Lantosi, Joel Messner, and Alexey Solovyev to one-year, AHL contracts.
Asselin, who was at Boston’s development camp late last month, joins the Bruins after scoring 48 goals and 86 points in 68 appearances for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QJMHL last season. His 48 goals were the most in the Q, and the most in a single season by a Halifax player since 1994. It’s believed Asselin turned down his hometown Canadiens to join the Bruins.
Woods, meanwhile, comes to the B’s organization with 262 games of AHL experience between Charlotte and Utica. A 6-foot-3 forward, Woods totaled seven goals and 17 points in 53 games for the Comets last season. Woods has appeared in seven NHL games in his professional career, all coming with the Hurricanes from Dec. 2014 through Apr. 2016.
Breen and Messner, of course, are somewhat familiar names to those close to the P-Bruins.
Breen has spent the last five seasons with the P-Bruins, including two as an alternate captain, where the 6-foot-7 defender has totaled 264 games. Breen has appeared in nine NHL games in his pro career, all with the Flames and during the 2013-14 season. The 25-year-old Messner skated in 32 games for the P-Bruins last season, with one goal and seven points to his name.
Lantosi, a 23-year-old forward, joins the North American pro ranks after scoring 20 goals and 58 points in 56 games with Nitra MHC in the Slovak Tipsport Liga (Slovakia’s top league) in 2018-19.
And Solvyev will report to Providence after a four-year collegiate career at Bentley University. A 6-foot-2 defender, the Russian-born Solvyev recorded five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 37 games as a senior in 2018-19.