Ever since the Boston Bruins used the second overall selection in last June’s NHL Entry Draft on OHL scoring champion Tyler Seguin, it’s been assumed that the 18-year-old forward would be skating for the big club in the 2010-11 season.

To the rookie’s credit, he’s taking nothing for granted and spent his summer working out to build his strength and conditioning, while also honing his hockey skills. Seguin skated at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass. yesterday with some other young players before the veterans hit the ice for the first captain’s practice of the new season. Seguin talked briefly about his preparation for the new campaign, revealing a training program in his home base of Toronto with NHLers Mike Cammalleri and Scott Gomez.

“It’s been all focus, all hockey, all just in the gym and on the ice,” Seguin told the Boston Herald. “I’ve been doing my own little training camp to get geared up for this. After the development camp I took a week off and then got right back into it.”

Seguin graded well at the NHL’s scouting combine in late May with 7 percent body fat and at the July development camp in Boston told hockeyjournal.com that he wanted to be about 195 pounds when he returned to the Hub for rookie and main camp.

“In the NHL every little bit of (strength) helps,” Seguin said. “I know that I need to put my best foot forward to earn a spot in Boston, so adding good weight and being in the best possible shape is just a part of my obligation.”

On Sunday, we’ll find out whether Seguin achieved his summer weight gaining goal, as the rookies will report to Wilmington for fitness testing and begin their camp, which culminates with games against the New York Islanders rookies next Wednesday and Thursday.

The rookie portion will serve as a nice primer for Seguin, who thus far has been a model prospect who says and does all the right things on and off the ice.

Once the veterans enter the mix late next week, the real testing begins.

The Boston Bruins released their training camp roster today and without stealing too much thunder from the Black and Gold blog, here’s a quick update on a few of the rookie faces who are not officially part of the Boston organization but here on an invitational basis:

LW Antoine Roussel– Born in France, this undersized (and undrafted) winger scored 24 goals for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens this past season and added another 9 points in seven playoff games. He’s been described as a winger who plays with some feistiness and sandpaper and compares to former Bruin Steve Begin.

RW Walker Wintoneak-- The 21-year-old winger (pronounced Win-TONE-ee-ak) spent four years with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades and scored a career-best 74 points last season, good for second on the club. The undrafted forward scored 31 goals in 08-09 and at 6-3, 205 pounds has nice size, but heavy feet. Much like Jordan Knackstedt, he’ll need to pick up several steps to have a shot at making it at the next level, but his natural size and strength could serve him well. He was born in Ontario, but hails from Bobby Clarke’s hometown of Flin Flon, Manitoba, and his father , Larry,is the head coach of the SJHL’s Kindersley Klippers.

D Matt Delahey– The former fourth round (112th overall) pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2008 was not signed and is a free agent by virtue of his late-’89 birthdate. The Moose Jaw native is a no-frills, meat-and-potatoes shutdown guy who plays with some toughness, but was more valued in junior for his ability to play a lot of minutes. He spent most of his junior career in the WHL with the Regina Pats before being dealt to the Chilliwack Bruins late last season.

Veteran minor league tough guy Joe Rullier doesn’t qualify as a “rookie” at 30, but has never played in the NHL after the Los Angeles Kings took him in the fifth round of the 1998 draft. He spent last season in Finland and brings size, snarl and veteran experience to Providence.

The Bruins rookies will report to Boston for off-ice fitness testing on Sunday, Sept. 12th and will have two days of on-ice work before playing a pair of exhibition games against the New York Islanders prospects on Wednesday and Thursday night, Sept. 15-16, at the TD Garden.

Providence Bruins winger Mikko Lehtonen, a third-round pick by Boston in 2005, has signed a one-year deal to spend the 2010-11 campaign with AIK of the Swedish Elite League.

Lehtonen, who led the Baby Bruins in scoring in each of the last two seasons, played just two games (one in each campaign) for the parent club.  Although the Bruins tendered him a qualifying offer to retain his rights, it had been rumored that he was headed back to Europe after failing to impress the team enough to get more of an extended NHL look.

The former Espoo Blues standout in Finland’s SM-Liiga before signing a two-year contract with the Bruins in 2008 scored 28 goals in his first AHL season, but was benched during the ‘09 playoffs, and had struggled with his intensity and a dedication to playing a complete two-way game.

The move is not a surprising one for who were able look past the solid statistical production and saw the flaws in his game holding him back from getting more of an opportunity at the NHL level. It also allows Boston to surge young recently signed talent up front onto the Providence roster. Forwards such as Joe Colborne, Maxime Sauve and Jordan Caron headline a skilled but inexperienced group expected to play important roles in the AHL this season, and so Lehtonen’s departure frees up the ice time and ratchets up the pressure on them a bit.

Three years ago, left wing Craig Cunningham was basking in the glory of a Memorial Cup championship despite having played the entire WHL season (46 games) without a goal for the Vancouver Giants.

In his first draft-eligible season in 2007-08, he sought to make a bigger impact for his team, which was to be captained by close friend and mentor Milan Lucic. But Lucic beat the odds and won a spot on the Boston Bruins as a 19-year-old, and the Giants were unable to duplicate their CHL championship run. Individually, Cunningham found the back of the net just 11 times and got 25 points at season’s end.

With a Sep. 3, 1990 birthdate, Cunningham was one of the youngest players eligible for the 2008 NHL draft. He was passed over, and his big league hockey dreams took a hit.

“It was tough; a real disappointment,” Cunningham told hockeyjournal.com at the Bruins development camp in July when asked about not getting picked. “But I’ve always believed in hard work and not giving up on my dreams, so I just stayed with it.”

With a lack of size (5-10, 180) and production working against him, the Trail, B.C. native, who folks out west call “Richie”, didn’t hear his name called in Montreal a year later. However, his 28-goal, 50-point season earned him an invite to New York Rangers camp. He didn’t get offered a contract, but the seed of confidence was planted inside him, and it didn’t take much for that belief in self to flourish when he got off to a hot start last season.

“I had a good experience with the Rangers and I think it definitely helped me with my confidence last year,” Cunningham said. “It also helped that Evander Kane (Atlanta) and James Wright (Tampa Bay) were in the NHL, because I got a lot of ice time and a chance to start the season on the top line.”

Cunningham’s offense took off as he became coach Don Hay’s go-to guy in every situation, playing well at even strength and on special teams. He racked up 97 points to lead the Giants in scoring, finding the back of the net a career-best 37 times. It was enough to not only see Cunningham get the draft call the third time around, but inside the top-100, as he was tabbed with the 97th overall selection, originally belonging to the Carolina Hurricanes acquired by Boston in the Aaron Ward trade last August.

B’s amateur scout Dean Malkoc, a former defenseman for the team who covers the Western Canada region, was a big supporter of Cunningham’s having seen firsthand the player’s significant development over the past several seasons. The fact that Cunningham also got some positive character references from his former junior teammate and off-season workout buddy Lucic didn’t hurt his cause with the Bruins, either.

Cunningham made a positive impression at the development camp last month in Wilmington, Mass. Despite not having ideal height, he has a stocky build and is naturally strong, with nice skating ability and a willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice and win battles for loose pucks. He has a quick stick and good feel for the offensive flow of things based on the limited exposure at camp. What Cunningham’s offensive ceiling at the next level is yet to be determined, but he does have some intriguing potential.

20 years old when the 20010-11 season starts, Cunningham is eligible to return to Vancouver as an overage player, or he could sign with the Bruins. However, the team is currently at 47 out of a maximum allowable 50 contracts, so inking Cunningham could wait another year unless the team feels he’s best served by going pro and playing next season in Providence of the AHL. That decision will likely come in September, when Cunningham will have the opportunity to test his mettle against the Bruins veteran players and other experienced roster hopefuls.

When it comes to skill and character, Cunningham has NHL credibility, but he’ll have to overcome the lack of size to be an impact player at the next level. Given his drive, work ethic and leadership, don’t bet against him doing just that, even if it may take time.

“I’m a two-way player. I can play a checking role or scoring role; it doesn’t matter,” he said. ”I can play up or down the lineup– I can be moved up or moved down. I pride myself on my work ethic and that’s kind of what gets me to where I am today.”

Justin Florek had long gotten over the disappointment of not being drafted by any of the NHL’s 30 teams when he was first eligible two years ago, but he held out a small hope he would get picked in the 2009 draft.

No dice.

So, it wasn’t surprising that the Marquette, Mich. native gave little thought to the 2010 NHL Entry Draft when he signed on to work a shift at his local YMCA gym on the afternoon of June 26. 

“First year, I was heartbroken like any kid would be expecting to get drafted and not being drafted,” Florek told hockeyjournal.com at last month’s development camp in Wilmington, Mass. “The second year I didn’t really think about it  but obviously, it’s in the back of your head. And then, the third year, I just picked up the shift on Saturday, draft day, and didn’t even think about it. I was working when I got the call.”

If he was sitting in the local gym not thinking more about deadlifts than about hockey, his world and future outlook turned upside down in an instant when his cell phone rang.

“When I got the call and found out I was a Bruin, it was the best feeling in the world,” said the Northern Michigan University junior, who could be primed for a major breakout season after showing the signs of being a productive presence at the NCAA level in 09-10.  He scored 12 goals and 35 points in 41 games for the Wildcats as a sophomore, doubling his freshman totals.

Whether the 20-year-old can translate that kind of promising production at the pro level remains to be seen, but Florek has the size (6-4, 195) and skating ability to at least bang bodies and be a solid two-way presence if he continues in his development.

“I’m a big power forward; I pick up loose pucks around the net and maintain possession down low,” Florek said.”I throw the body around when I need to. I’m a defensive forward; I penalty kill a lot and play the power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5– I do it all.”

As a member of of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich., Florek showed promise. Enough so that in October, 2007, he was viewed by USA Today’s Kevin Allen as a possible first-round selection. Allen wrote:

Other potential first-round picks include Phil McRae, son of former NHL player Basil McRae who is playing in London, Ontario, and U.S. Under-18 team player Justin Florek, a 6-4 forward. He’s also off to a slow start, “But in his prime he will be a good hard power forward,” (Under-18 coach John) Hynes said. “He works at it and understands the game.”

Florek struggled with injuries that limited his playing time and cost him a draft slot, and then played sparingly as a freshman in 08-09. However, the opportunity to be a part of the national team and the comprehensive challenges the program puts its players through proved beneficial to Florek.

“Playing that minor-18 year, we played the college teams and that made the transition that much easier,”Florek said. “Just the speed, the tempo of the game helped a lot. Now in the college game, I’m starting to become a force out there, so I hope I can keep doing that and hopefully it can transition over to the next level here.”

Although Florek wasn’t able to see as much of Boston as he would have liked while participating in the development camp, he is an avid fisherman who got excited about future angling opportunities when flying into Logan and looking down at the open ocean and Boston harbor.

For now, however, Florek’s focus is on hockey and his upcoming academic year in which he hopes to take major strides forward and perhaps convince the Bruins that he’s worth offering a contract to and getting into the system.

“I’m just looking forward to getting bigger and stronger and more physical and always improving on the speed aspect of the game,” Florek said.

Being at camp was just a brief glimpse into what it will take to succeed in the Bruins organization, but for a young man who was snubbed twice, that the team took a chance on him at this stage was like an ice cold glass of water proffered in the middle of a sweltering desert.

“It was a great week, great experience. It’s awesome to be here in Boston, wearing the Boston uniform; it was everything I expected and more,” he said.

Goaltender Zane Gothberg, who was the 165th overall pick by the Boston Bruins in the June draft, is having a successful USA Hockey National Team Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The 6-foot-1, 177-pound Thief River Falls (Minnesota) high school standout, who turns 18 this month, is making a case to back up Jack Campbell at the World Jr. Championship tourney this coming winter in Buffalo, N.Y. stopping 25 of 26 shots faced in three different intrasquad scrimmages over the weekend.  Paired with Campbell on the white squad, Gothberg was instrumental in helping them go 3-0 over blue during the scrimmages.

Gothberg had a solid Bruins 2010 Development Camp in July, not looking out of place as the youngest and least experienced of four goaltenders in Wilmington. He’s got good size and is highly athletic, having won the Frank Brimsek Award last season, given to the top high school goalie in Minnesota.

Competing against a pair of undrafted 2010 eligibles in former Salisbury School standout Andy Iles and Mike Hutchinson’s London Knights backup last season Michael Houser, Gothberg has made a strong statement in the early going and will get a chance to play against teams from Sweden and Finland this week as part of the evaluation camp festivities.

Gothberg, a University of North Dakota recruit, will play in the USHL this season for the Fargo Force.

While watching the Boston Bruins Development Camp this week, goalie Mike Hutchinson was observed wearing red, white and blue pads, as well as glove and blocker, which stood out in stark contrast to his green and gold (London Knights) mask and B’s practice jersey.

Knowing that the pad colors matched his old OHL team, the Barrie Colts, I figured that maybe he was using a set of old pads because they were well worn and broken in, or perhaps brought him good luck. Goalies are quirky like that. But, when I approached Hutch about it in the dressing room, he set the record straight.

“These are (Columbus Blue Jackets goalie) Steve Mason’s pads,” Hutchinson said with a laugh, pointing out an autograph in blue sharpie on the top left pad of the Vaughn Velocity series he had still strapped to his legs. “At the end of the season, the Vaughn Company’s based out of London, so their rep was at a lot of our games and we started talking during the year. I didn’t want to switch (to Vaughn) during the year so as soon as the season ended, he sent me– I catch the same way as Mason and we’re roughly the same height– so he sent me all this stuff to try out and I like it.”

I guess! If you’re going to be gifted a set of broken-in NHL game-used equipment, having the ‘09 Calder Trophy-winner’s gear isn’t a bad way to go. It’s a nice perk that Hutch clearly enjoyed, and based on his strong finish over the last two days of camp, the pads may have brought him some good mojo to boot, even if Mason’s fall-to-earth sophomore campaign was anything but stellar.

Here’s betting that the 10-11 version of Hutchinson will be sporting a full Vaughn ensemble to go with his mask in all of the matching colors, depending on where he plays.

He’s eligible to return to the OHL as an overaged player, but he wants to be playing pro hockey next year. The guess here is that because the Bruins have the option of returning him to junior, they just might exercise it given Matt Dalton and Adam Courchaine must play in the pro ranks either in the AHL with Providence or in Reading of the ECHL.

Day Five of the Boston Bruins Development Camp, the fourth since the team began holding them in 2007, wrapped up on a high note, as fans in attendance were treated to a lot of goals in the final scrimmage, a good indicator of the kind of high-end skill the kids had shown throughout the week.

The crowds came out en masse Saturday to see potential pieces of the team’s future, and the youngsters did not disappoint.

Second-rounders Jared Knight and Ryan Spooner both continued their trend of scoring goals, tallying multiple strikes in the scrimmage and showcasing their impressive puckhandling and shooting skills. Both are longshots to make the Boston roster in the fall, but as far as making a great first impression on the team and its fans, Spooner and Knight passed easily with flying colors and appear to have bright futures ahead of them.

“I had a great time, no doubt about it,” Knight told hockeyjournal when it was all over. “The fans were really into it all week and it was just a great experience all around.”

Also impressing were first-rounders Joe Colborne and Jordan Caron, both of whom not only looked very good over the past five days, but who also provided some leadership because of their own experience and familiarity with the Bruins organization.

“Being a leader is something I’ve tried to make a conscious effort to be for some of the younger guys,” Colborne said Satuday as he prepared to fly home to Calgary, Alberta to continue his summer training. “I’ve been lucky with some of the older guys who were great to me when I was first coming in to the organization, so it’s been fun to take on that role and pass some of that on this week.”

Colborne showed all of the smooth skating and high-end offensive skill he was touted with having when the B’s took him 16th overall two years ago.

Caron, who went to Boston with the 25th overall selection in 2009, is a power forward prospect with the soft hands and energy to possibly land an NHLjob this fall. Based on what he and Colborne showed this week, if they bring much of the same come September, they’ll both have shots at making the final cut.

“It’s been a good time for me I think,” said Caron, his trademark easy smile in place. “I know I have to work on my skating, my explosion. But if I can do that, I think I have a good chance to be an NHL player, so I just have to keep working on it and see what happens at camp.”

Caron played on a line all week with Tyler Seguin and Knight, creating space and showing off his impressive shot and release. He has soft hands and can handle the puck well, his initial burst really being the only drawback to an otherwise very well-rounded game.

Not to be forgotten is the play of Ryan Button, who was the best defenseman at camp this week by a good margin, showing off an impressive set of wheels and sterling two-way game.

“Ithink I’ve gained a lot of confidence after the way things went this week,” Button said Saturday, reflecting on all he accomplished individually and with his teammates all week. “I’m excited to be able to go home and keep working on my conditioning and strength so that I can come back here (in September) and have a good (rookie and main) camp where I’m hopefully going to keep learning and progressing.”

Button’s goal  (which exhibited shades of Scott Niedermayer in his prime) scored on Thursday afternoon was one of the top-three plays of the entire camp and demonstrated the kind of potential he has at the NHL level if he can continue his upward development as he goes back home to Edmonton, Alberta and will likely play his final junior hockey season in Prince Albert of the WHL this season.

All in all, there was a lot of positive feelings coming out of the Bruins organization as the prospects broke camp on Saturday, and if fan turnout and energy was any indications, expectations continue to be high.

Seguin’s arrival to the NHL in a Boston uniform seems almost preordained given his strong showing here all week, but he’s got plenty of peers who look to be making their own cases for NHL jobs with the Bruins in short order.

            A pair of late-round picks for the Boston Bruins in two recent drafts have used the team’s Development Camp to forge a strong bond that they’ll look to carry over in the 2010-11 season at Clarkson University.

            Nicholas Tremblay (sixth round, 173^rd overall in 2008) and Ben Sexton (seventh round, 206^th overall in 2009) will play together with the Golden Knights, and have both performed solidly in the four days of on- and off-ice work in Wilmington, Mass.

            “Things have been going good; I’m really enjoying myself the second time around,” Sexton told hockeyjournal.com after the Friday session. “I’m a little bit more comfortable. The skates have been good; the off-ice workouts have been good. I’m really enjoying myself.”

            Sexton, 19, is the son of former Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers GM Randy Sexton, and left his home province of Ontario last season for British Columbia where he played for the Penticton Panthers and was a teammate of Pittsburgh 2010 first-round selection Beau Bennett.

            The Bruins picked Sexton out of the Nepean Raiders of the CJHL, where his head coach was former Bruins defenseman Garry Galley. When approached last season about Sexton, Galley spoke positively of the young center’s hockey sense and work ethic, also noting that he hoped that some of the injury woes Sexton had battled through while on the Raiders were behind him.

        Sexton’s performance at camp this week has been solid, if unspectacular. He is a good skater and has a hard shot he gets off quickly. He’s not had as much success in handling the puck in close quarters, but has played a diligent two-way game and hustles.

            Tremblay, 22, just completed his sophomore season at Clarkson after scoring 50 goals for the Smiths Falls Bruins of the CJHL, where he competed against Sexton during the 2007-08 season. In two seasons with the Golden Knights, he’s tallied just seven goals and 31 points in 73 games, but could be primed for a breakout year.

 He’s in his third camp and one of the “old men” of the room with a wide perspective of having seen how each experience differs from the last.

            “I think it’s a lot tougher mentally,” Tremblay said, referring to the grueling, but enriching team-building work the B’s prospects conducted prior to Wednesday afternoon. “We had The Program coming in; it was really challenging, especially because we went there before going on the ice—it was exhausting, but I’m really enjoying it.”

            Tremblay’s speed has been unmatched by any of the other prospects at camp. He aced the power skating drills by a wide margin on Thursday, and displayed his penchant for backing up defenders in both scrimmages Thursday and Friday. Even with the wheels, however, Tremblay has some self-identified objectives for improvement.

            “I’m trying to work on my shot a lot,” he said. “I think it was a big thing for me last year, trying to hit the open corners and not the side of the net every time. I’m just trying to get a harder shot, make it more accurate.”

            Sexton for his part, realized that he needed more of a challenge and adjustment after spending a couple of seasons in the CJHL, so he moved west to a different league.

            “I think I bridged the gap between that this year by heading out to the BCHL,” Sexton said. “I mean, moving away from home was definitely an adjustment, so I think I’ll be used to that heading to Clarkson.”

            Sexton is a physical specimen who may not have a lot of height, but appears to have filled out well in the year since Boston drafted him, with a little more room to grow and add mass to his frame. “I think my fitness level going in—I think if I go in in really good shape. I’ve been working really hard in the gym and I’m going to continue that this summer. If I go in good shape, I think I’ll be fine.”

            The B’s have done Sexton and Tremblay a favor by giving them a chance to skate together in scrimmages, forming an immediate on-ice chemistry that could pay dividends when they are wearing the green and gold next season. Sexton has also taken advantage of Tremblay’s knowledge and feels as ready as he can be for the next big challenge of his young career.

            “Me and Nick (Tremblay) had a great chat coming down,” said Sexton. “I hadn’t met him before, but I played against him in the CJHL. He’s been helping me along with (Clarkson defenseman and Senators prospect) Mark Borowiecki. (They’re) two guys that have shown me what it’s going to be like next year and are helping me make the adjustment.”

              They’re beating the heat in Boston, but the duo hopes to ignite the Potsdam, N.Y. ice next winter.

After the frenetic pace of skating and shooting drills yesterday, the Boston Bruins goalie prospects at Development Camp got to do more work on their skills with goalie coach Bob Essensa on Thursday morning.

“You get your legs under you a bit,” Matt Dalton told hockeyjournal.com after two one-hour sessions and a 20-minute scrimmage. “We didn’t do the stuff before that we did yesterday, so I feel a bit better. The legs are obviously a little sore, but it’s good to get more adapted and more adjusted to the shots. So, it was definitely a bit better today.”

At 23, the free agent out of Bemidji State University is in his second season with the Bruins, and saw time in the ECHL, AHL and was even recalled to the team for a brief spell in March when injuries hit, practicing with the team and seeing what life in the big leagues entails.

Dalton and the other three goalies, Adam Courchaine, Mike Hutchinson and Zane Gothberg, looked more settled and comfortable, and benefited from the work they did with Essensa.

Courchaine, a free agent signing out of the OHL is the “old man” of the group at age 21 as far as experience in the Bruins organization goes, but is preparing for his first professional season after graduating from the junior ranks.

“I think it’s obviously gotten a bit different every year,” Courchaine said, having been at all of the team’s development camps since they began having them in 2007. “You’re more comfortable coming in, you know everybody’s name, you know everybody. You can take on more of a leadership role; help the guys who are maybe a little more uncomfortable and kind of help them along, kind of bring the group together. I think it was nice the first few days, we didn’t do anything on the ice, so it gave us a chance to bond together off the ice.”

Michael Hutchinson, Boston’s third pick (77th overall) in 2008, is another young prospect with some upside after posting a strong season with the London Knights in 09-10. 

“I think that each year coming to these I feel more relaxed,” Hutchinson said. “This year I came in and right from the start, I felt really comfortable with the speed of the shots and the speed of everything, so I didn’t have that adjustment period for the first couple of days this year. I feel really good about the progress I’ve made so far.”

The biggest of Boston’s four netminders in attendance, “Hutch” is highly athletic, and when on his game, resembles Tuukka Rask in terms of style and substance. He does catch the puck with his right hand, which can pose an interesting challenge for shooters at times. During the scrimmage, however, defenseman Ryan Button scored the highlight goal of the day when he took the puck at the point, walked around Jordan Caron, and then roofed a shot that beat Hutchinson on the shortside (his glove hand) and knocked the water bottle into the air.

B’s assistant general manager Don Sweeney said that the goalies faced some of the toughest challenges after the camp’s first day of on-ice work. “They’re at the biggest disadvantage. They’ve been off their teams and haven’t seen shots n game situations for an extended period of time. They have to knock some rust off. The shooters have the advantage.”

Zane Gothberg, just a few short months ago facing high school shooters in his home state of Minnesota, immediately gained an appreciation for what Sweeney was talking about, going up against elite players in his peer group by global standards such as Tyler Seguin, Joe Colborne, Jordan Caron and  Jared Knight to name just a few.

“It just shows you that every ounce of energy you have left, you have to put it forward otherwise these guys are going to beat you clean,” he said on Tuesday. “Got snipped a couple of times out there but that was just cause mentally and physically I need to get to the next level. From here, it’s a good building block towards the future. Just hanging with the guys and soaking it all in.”

While Gothberg still has some amateur hockey left to him with the Fargo Force of the USHL and then the University of North Dakota either next season or the year after, Courchaine will be a rookie pro and is ready for the challenge ahead.

“I definitely have the biggest summer ahead of me so far, and wherever I have to play, I have to play well every night,” Courchaine said.

Ditto Dalton, who could form half of a tandem in Providence this season with the recently signed Nolan Schaefer. With Kevin Regan not qualified, an AHL job and possibly more is there for the taking, and Dalton seems the logical one in line to take advantage. His goals and objectives for the 10-11 campaign were pretty simple when queried about them.

“Playing as well as I can,” Dalton said. “I want to dominate at whatever level I’m at. Whether it’s NHL, AHL or wherever, I want to dominate and that’s my goal. I’ve had a taste of it now and kind of know what to expect, and I’m excited.”

Although Hutchinson is eligible to return for an overage year in the OHL, he made no bones about where he wants to be playing next season. “My goal is not to be back in junior hockey next year,” Hutchinson said. “So I’m going to do everything I can this summer to help me take the step to the next level.”

Dalton, Courchaine and Hutchinson are all under contract to the B’s, while Gothberg will not sign until he is ready to turn pro several years down the road at least.