Bruins Ink Six Players To AHL Contracts For 2019-20 Season

The summer work continues for Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney. The club announced on Monday that they have signed six players to AHL contracts. Samuel Asselin and Brendan Woods have agreed to two-year contracts, while Chris Breen, Robert Lantosi, Joel Messner and Alexey Solovyev received one-year deals. Asselin’s contract was rumored back in June in the midst of the Stanley Cup Final.

Asselin, a 5-foot-10 forward, scored 48 goals and added 38 assists for 86 points in 68 games for the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads in 2018-19. A Quebec native, Asselin could appear in training camp with Boston prior to his rookie pro season with AHL Providence. Woods, the other player to get a two-year deal, was a fifth round pick of the Hurricanes in 2012. He appeared in 53 AHL games with the Utica Comets a season ago and registered 17 points (7 g, 10 a) and 103 penalty minutes.

Breen is no stranger to the Bruin organization. The veteran defender, now 30, has spent the last five seasons with Providence. He’s served as an alternate captain in each of the last four years and scored 11 points (2 g, 9 a) in 47 games in 2018-19. He’ll return as a veteran leader for the young Providence club this fall.

Messner returns to the organization after 32 games with AHL Providence and 27 games with ECHL Atlanta in 2018-19. He scored seven points (1 g, 6 a) with Providence and 18 points (6 g, 12 a) with Atlanta. The 25-year-old defender is from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Solovyev continues the local flavor. The Russian defender appeared in 37 games with NCAA Bentley a season ago. Bentley, located in Waltham, plays in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Lantosi, 23, is a Slovakian forward who appeared in 56 games for Nitra MHC of the Slovak Tipsport Liga a season ago. He registered 58 points (20 g, 38 a) for the club.

The Providence Bruins finished the 2018-19 AHL season with a record of 38-27-10. They finished fourth in the Atlantic Division, falling in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoff to the eventual champion Charlotte Checkers.