Boston top ‘09 draft pick Jordan Caron fired home a goal and added a helper in the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies’ 4-1 win over the Val-d’Or Foreurs. The 19-year-old right winger now has 12 goals and 25 points in 17 games since being traded from the Rimouski Oceanic in December. His totals between the two clubs are 21-24-45 in 37 contests.

Caron is a good candidate to play for Providence when his Quebec League season finishes, but the bad news is that the Huskies could go deep in the playoffs and possibly win the league championship. The longer his team stays alive, the less likely he’ll be able to get some valuable AHL experience. By virtue of being a November ‘90 birthdate, Caron will be eligible to spend the entire 10-11 campaign in Providence assuming Boston signs him to an entry-level contract first.

“Caron had a slow start because of that (collarbone) injury, but he’s really found his game with the Huskies,” said an NHL scout who covers the QMJHL recently. “I still think he needs to improve his first few steps, but he’s using his size, strength and shot to make an impact offensively in every game.”

Fellow B’s prospect and Val-d’Or centerman Max Sauve, out since late November with a broken ankle, missed his 34th straight game, and may not play again this year according to one report.

“The ankle’s obviously worse than originally thought,” the scout said. “Which is especially impactful on Sauve because speed is such a big part of his game. He may have to reload and wait for next year, but it’s obviously got to be frustrating for everyone involved from the player to his junior team to the Bruins.”

The 20-year-old (he shares the same birthday as Joe Colborne- Jan. 30)second-round pick from the ‘08 draft (45th overall) signed an entry-level contract with Boston shortly before the injury.

After a productive stint with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, winger Yannick Riendeau has been returned to the Providence Bruins the team announced today.

Sent down on Feb. 14 after missing several weeks with an undisclosed wrist injury, Riendeau scored a pair of goals and three points in as many games with Boston’s ECHL affiliate.

That he’s been able to play through the injury is good news for Providence, as his offensive ability should provide a spark.

Like Mark Recchi, Riendeau is especially dangerous with the man advantage. His 16 power play goals in the playoffs (19 games) set a QMJHL record last year en route to a remarkable 29 goals and 52 points, tied with Mario Lemieux for second-best totals of all time behind Simon Gamache (56 points). For his efforts, Riendeau received the Guy Lafleur Trophy as QMJHL playoff MVP in leading his Drummondville Voltigeurs to the league championship and a Memorial Cup berth.

In six games in the AHL this season, Riendeau has registered an assist.

Although the Denver University right winger’s 12-game point streak ended in his team’s 4-2 win over Michigan Tech on Friday, Joe Colborne scored his 17th of the year the following night in the Pioneers’ 5-3 victory to keep the good times rolling in the Rocky Mountains.

Here’s a piece on him over at the Kirk’s Call section of the hj.com webpage:http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/2010/02/21_kirks.php

We delved into his draft year and what kind of communication he had with the B’s before they made him the 16th overall selection in the 2008 NHL draft. At the time, he was a 90-point scorer for the AJHL’s Camrose Kodiaks, who led his team to the Doyle Cup as AJHL champion, and just missed out on winning the Royal Bank Cup, which goes to the team who wins a tournament played against the  champions of every Junior-A league in Canada.

“I didn’t really talk to Boston until about a month or two before the draft,” Colborne said. “Mr. (Peter) Chiarelli and Mr. (Jim) Benning met with me during the Royal Bank Cup and I got a great feeling from them.”

Colborne said that after his meeting with Boston’s GM and Assistant GM, what attracted him the most to the Bruins and was the passion the management showed for building a winning formula. “They had a clear plan for their organization and I could see that it would be a great situation for me to be a part of if they felt I was worthy enough to pick me in the draft.”

He added that during the NHL Draft Combine in Toronto and even the final interview he conducted with the B’s right before the draft in Ottawa only added to his conviction that Boston would be the best place for him to play. The team, obviously feeling the same way, not only brought him to the city for further interviews and a visit before the draft (along with defenseman Colten Teubert and forward Josh Bailey, both of whom were off the board when Boston’s turn came).

When the time came for the Bruins to choose, there was no hesitation, and Colborne became their guy.

“I remember just sitting there in a daze when I heard them call my name,” he said. “When I was up there on the stage, putting that Bruins jersey on, all I kept thinking was that my dream had come true, and I couldn’t be in a better situation at that point, going to Boston.”

It was well known when he was picked that Colborne would have a longer timeline to compete for an NHL roster spot, but his development is clearly on the uptick given his improved production.

Colborne seemed surprised when it was pointed out that he was just four months old the last time the Bruins appeared in a Stanley Cup Final series, losing 4 games to 1 at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in 1990.

“I didn’t know it had been that long,” he said. “I’m hoping that I can make the team and help the Bruins get back there soon.”

New England Hockey Journal has learned that a favorite to host the  2011 Winter Classic, now an annual event for the NHL, is the Washington Capitals.

If approved, the game will be held at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., and although an opponent is yet to be decided, a source close to the situation said that the Pittsburgh Penguins may get the call to further capitalize on the white-hot rivalry between Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin and his Pens counterpart, Sidney Crosby. Granted, the Penguins have already gotten a Winter Classic game (they beat Buffalo in Orchard Park, N.Y. in 2008 with Crosby’s winning goal against Ryan Miller in a shootout), but the WC is all about the green, and a Caps-Pens tilt would generate lots of cash and intense interest.

I can tell you that there were a lot of disappointed folks in the nation’s capital last summer when it became known that the Bruins’ opponent would be the Philadelphia Flyers, so this should soothe the hurt feelings a bit if/when it becomes official.

U.S. National Team Development Program forward Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.), who will be featured in next month’s issue of New England Hockey Journal as one of the 2010 NHL Draft’s top-five regional prospects, is back in town this weekend to see his old team, Noble & Greenough School, take on Belmont Hill. He’s eager to see his old friends and teammates and for a chance to decompress a bit after a trip toEastern Europe and playing a demanding USHL and NCAA schedule with the U.S. Under-18 Team.

I talked to Arnold, who is heading to Boston College in the fall, this week after he returned from Minsk, Belarus and the Six Nations Tournament. Although Team USA lost a hard-fought game with Russia, 2-1. Arnold had an excellent tourney, posting 2 goals and 5 points in as many games in USA’s second overall finish ahead of Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic and Belarus. Arnold said that the experience was terrific even with the disappointing loss to Russia.

“We learned a lot,” he told me after his first practice back in Ann Arbor. “And coach (Kurt) Kleinendorst told us that while losing to Russia was obviously disappointing, there were a lot of lessons to learn from both on and off the ice.”

What Arnold meant about the off-ice lessons had to do with the fact that the World Under-18 Championship tourney in April (9-18) will be played in Minsk, so having had the oppportunity to play in the same rinks and get acclimated to the city and culture will provide Team USA with a strong foundation of what to expect when they return in two months to defend the gold medal won by the Americans in Fargo, N.D. last year.

Had Arnold stayed at Nobles, he and Kevin Hayes (Dorchester, Mass.) would have torn it up like they did last season, when both players registered 55 points to tie for the team lead. Nobles is currently fourth in the playoff standings with a 20-3-1 record. One can only imagine how much better the team would be with Arnold skating alongside Hayes and the rest of Brian Day’s impressive group.

After the season, he plans to continue his strength and conditioning training with trainer Brian McDonough and several of his old Nobles teammates including Hayes and Mark Hourihan (Lynnfield, Mass.) in Foxboro.

For more on Arnold, be sure to check out the March issue, which will provide details about his decision to leave the Bay State for Ann Arbor and his potential at the next level and beyond.

The Boston Herald reported that the Bruins are currently negotiating an entry level contract for Russian defenseman Yuri Alexandrov.

Alexandrov, who will turn 22 in June, was the New England Hockey Journal’s No. 6 prospect in our publication’s annual Boston Bruins future rankings,  and is having a career year for Cherepovets Severstal in the KHL. Alexandrov’s five goals and 19 points in 53 games has nearly doubled his previous high of 10 points in 45 contests two years ago.

The 37th overall pick in the 2006 NHL draft (taken 13 spots ahead of Milan Lucic for those keeping track at home) isn’t considered a “classic offensive defenseman” as Boston GM Peter Chiarelli related to the Herald, but his numbers do compare favorably to other proven two-way blueliners from Russia who have flourished in the NHL such as Sergei Zubov and Sergei Gonchar when they were Alexandrov’s age  and playing at the same level.

Not big (6-feet, 185), nor an explosive skater, Alexandrov has outstanding vision and the soft hands to make crisp outlet passes and move the puck up the ice quickly. He attended Boston’s Development Camp last July and played a conservative style for the most part, but according to those who have seen him play at home and in various international competitions, he has the ability to join the rush and create chances in the offensive end, while playing a steady, positionally-sound defensive game honed while playing against men since age 17.

Working against Alexandrov is a lean frame, lack of upper body strength and a cultural adjustment (he doesn’t speak English). However, he has the kind of skills and intangibles (five years of pro experience, former captain of Russia’s World Jr. Team) to make a splash at camp and possibly an immediate impact.

If the Bruins sign him in the near term, Alexandrov would not be eligible to play in Boston this season, but could possibly come over and join Providence to begin his acclimation process and start practicing with the team (and learning the system), much like Tuukka Rask did in the spring of ‘07 when his season in Finland ended.

Forward Yannick Riendeau was assigned to the Reading Royals of the ECHL today, the Providence Bruins announced in a team release.

Riendeau, 21, led the QMJHL last season in regular and postseason scoring, and signed with the Bruins as an undrafted free agent last spring during his team’s run to the league championship.

During the ‘09 Memorial Cup tournament while a member of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, Riendeau injured his wrist. After missing the first three months of the 2009-10 season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Riendeau played six games (1 assist) in the AHL for Providence before reaggravating the wrist, which had been thought to have healed during his extended convalescence.

The assignment, which is believed to provide roster relief and flexibility for Providence while also allowing him to rehabilitate his injury and return to action slowly, is not a reflection of how Riendeau played in his limited stint in the AHL, head coach Rob Murray intimated in a conversation we had a month ago.

Playing a style reminiscent of B’s veteran Mark Recchi in that Riendeau does not possess a lot of size or speed, he nevertheless has a high hockey IQ and very good hands as a playmaker and goalscorer. As a free agent project much like Pascal Pelletier five years ago, the Bruins can afford to be patient with Riendeau’s development, which has been sidelined by significant injuries.

Chris Kreider (Boxford, Mass.) was the region’s top NHL draft pick last June, going 19th overall to the New York Rangers (who also drafted fellow Boxfordite Ryan Bourque two rounds later).

Too often, I heard Kreider downgraded by some draft experts and pundits because he played prep hockey last year. In fact, his decision to forego another year at Phillips Andover Academy in favor of completing his graduation requirements and enrolling at Boston College this year might have been a key factor is his being picked inside the top-20 because of that bias that seems to be in vogue when it comes to the NHL draft these days.

One thing I heard several times about Kreider (even though he was a torrid scorer with the Big Blue last season) was that he was a questionable finisher. Some scouts weren’t sure he was a natural shooter despite hitting 33 markers last season (Brooks Dyroff, Andover’s second-leading scorer, had a total of 30 points)

However, Kreider has done a lot to silence the critics this year. He started out with a tremendous performance at the World Junior Championship (Under-20) tournament in December and January, tying for the team lead in goal scoring and showing off a wicked wrist shot that he unleashed from the outside for several goals to go with his prolific finishing skills in close.

This week, Kreider scored a highlight reel goal in the Beanpot championship game when he used his blazing speed to get by BU defenseman Max Nicastro on the outside, then swoop in on Kieran Millan and tuck the puck just inside the right post.

The tally gave Kreider 5 goals in as many of the previous contests for BC (good for 7 goals, 10 points in 22 games on the season), and prompted me to place a call to one of the scouts I talked to about Kreider last season.

“He’s really showing everyone why (chief scout) Gordie Clark (Stratford, N.H.) and the Rangers were comfortable taking him where they did,” he said. “Kreider really stepped up in Saskatoon (at the World Jrs.) and I think Jerry York and his staff are handling him the right way. He’s really proving himself to be a gamer.”

Kreider’s speed, intelligence and character turned a lot of NHL teams’ heads last year, but his impressive scoring prowess of late has a few more who could’ve taken him but passed perhaps wishing they’d put a little more faith in Kreider and the prep competition he thrived in.

Anaheim Ducks defender Ryan Whitney (Scituate, Mass.) was named to the 2010 U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey Team along with Carolina’s Tim Gleason after injuries forced out Mike Komisarek and Paul Martin USA Hockey announced today.

Whitney, the fifth overall selection in the 2002 NHL Draft, was traded from Pittsburgh to Anaheim in last season. The former Thayer Academy and Boston University standout played on the U.S. World Junior (Under-20) Teams in 2002 and 2003.

He joins forward Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn.) and goaltender Jonathan Quick (Hamden , Conn.) as the only New England natives on the Olympic player roster.

Left wing Matt Marquardt has been assigned from the Reading Royals of the ECHL today to the Providence Bruins by the parent organization, Providence announced in a team release.

The 22-year-old has struggled mightily this season, with just eight assists in 33 games with Providence between two separate assignments to the Reading. In six ECHL games, Marquardt has a goal and two assists.

The former Columbus draft pick was acquired by Boston in May of 2008 in exchange for defensive prospect Jonathan Sigalet.

Marquardt will likely take the injured Jeff LoVecchio’s spot in the Providence lineup for the time being.