Malcolm Subban, Camara headed for Providence

During a press conference earlier today, Boston Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney told the media that both goaltender Malcolm Subban and forward Anthony Camara will begin next season in the professional ranks.

Subban, who was drafted by the Bruins in the first round of the 2012 entry draft, has played the past three seasons in Belleville of the OHL. While backstopping the Bulls last season, the 19-year-old set career highs with a 2.14 GAA and .934 SV% in 46 games. In the playoffs, Subban took his game to another level, his GAA dipping down to 2.00 over 17 playoff appearances.

In Providence, Subban will get a shot at the starting role, something that is almost assured with the exit of former NHL Bruins backup Anton Khudobin and the signing of Chad Johnson to hold the fort behind Tuukka Rask in the bigs. With Johnson in the NHL, Subban will have to fight for time with Niklas Svedberg. Svedberg backstopped the P-Bruins in 48 contests next season, and working Subban in a tandem will give the goaltender the chance to adjust to the professional game.

Like most puck stoppers, Subban will likely be given several seasons to develop in the minors before he makes a home in the NHL.

Camara, who was Subban’s teammate with the U20 World Junior team in 2012-13, is best known as a grinder and a pest. During the World Junior Championship, Camara showed his ability to throw his weight around and get under the opposition’s skin.

A regular on the score sheet in the OHL, Camara had 66 goals and 56 assists in 245 games which includes stints with the Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts. Always consistent, Camara added another 24 points (12-12) in 47 playoff games in the ‘O’.

Camara was selected by the Bruins in the third round, 81st overall, in 2011.

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Bruins announce Camper signing

Former Miami (OH.) University captain Carter Camper is getting another shot with the Bruins.

Boston announced today that they’ve inked the 25-year-old Camper to a one-year, two-way deal that will bring the forward back to the organization for at least one more season.

Camper, who primarily plays centre and right-wing, has spent the last two season in Providence with the Bruins farm club. Last season, in 57 games with the P-Bruins, Camper put up 10 goals and 37 assists, one shy of his career high of 48 points.

It was in the playoffs, however, that Camper had his coming out. In 12 postseason games with Providence, Camper has 13 points — 8 goals and three assists.

During his NCAA career, Camper scored at a pace of more than a point per game, amassing 69 goals and 114 assists in 156 games. A 2011-12 AHL all-star, Camper is also a two-time NCAA first team all-star and was a Hobey Baker finalist in 2010-11.

Bruins ink four, including goaltender Johnson

Chad Johnson’s hard work looks like it will finally pay off in a backup role for the Boston Bruins.

Johnson, forwards Bobby Robins, Nick Johnson, and defenceman Mike Moore, signed two-way deals with the Bruins yesterday.

At 27, Johnson is likely going to slot behind Tuukka Rask on the Bruins depth chart. With the loss of last season’s backup Anton Khudobin, the Bruins had a hole to fill in net and did so with the 2006 fifth-round pick Johnson.

At 6’2″ and 174 lbs., Johnson isn’t the biggest goalie, especially by todays standards, but scouting reports praise his movement and speed in goal. Last season, Johnson appeared in four games for the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes, and posted a 1.21 GAA and .954 SV%. At the AHL level, Johnson has played over 150 games, and posted a career best 2.49 GAA and .919 SV% as a member of the Connecticut Whale in 2011-12.

In Robins and Johnson, the Bruins get two players who couldn’t be more different.

Johnson, 27, is a two-way forward who will contribute a bit up front, likely in the 35-50 point range. In 2010-11, as a member of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, Johnson tallied 20 goals and 19 assists in 40 games. If he hadn’t missed time due to injury that season, Johnson easily would have eclipsed his previous career high of 43 points, a total which he put up over 61 games in 2009-10.

A Penguins draft pick in 2004, Johnson can play at the NHL level, but he’s best utilized in the AHL. He could fill some holes in Boston if need be, but his primary use will be in the middle of the lineup for the P-Bruins.

What separates Johnson from Robins is Robins proclivity to drop the gloves. At 6’1″ and 220 lbs., Robins doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves, and he knows it’s his role. The 31-year-old has bounced around the minors, and, until last season, hadn’t had a full time shot in the AHL since playing 80 games with the Binghamton Senators in 2006-07.

In 74 games last season, Robins had 11 points (4-7) to go along with a staggering 316 PIM. Robins also dressed for 12 playoff games last year with Providence, racking up one goal, one assist, and 69 PIM in 12 games.

Moore, the only defenceman of the bunch, isn’t the most offensively minded, but he’ll contribute while giving the team a rock on the back end. Above all else, however, is Moore’s leadership ability. In 5 seasons in the AHL — four with the Worcester Sharks, one with the Milwaukee Admirals — Moore has been given the alternate captaincy once, and captained both the Sharks (2010-11) and Admirals (2012-13).

In 304 career games in the ‘A’, Moore has 88 points (19-69) to go along with 407 PIM.