The Bruins have released their preseason roster to the press. Members of the organization expected to be in attendance at training camp beginning September 17th are listed below.

Forwards

Jamie Arniel
Patrice Bergeron
Gregory Campbell
Jordan Caron
Joe Colborne
Craig Cunningham
Zach Hamill
Nathan Horton
Jordan Knackstedt
Jared Knight
David Krejci
Jeff LoVecchio
Milan Lucic
Lane MacDermid
Kirk MacDonald
Brad Marchand
Levi Nelson
Daniel Paille
Tyler Randell
Mark Recchi
Jeremy Reich
Yannick Riendeau
Antoine Roussel
Michael Ryder
Max Sauve
Marc Savard
Tyler Seguin
Wyatt Smith
Ryan Spooner
Shawn Thornton
Blake Wheeler
Walker Wintoneak

Defensemen

Yury Alexandrov
Matt Bartkowski
Andrew Bodnarchuk
Johnny Boychuk
Ryan Button
Zdeno Chara
Matt Delahey
Ryan Donald
Andrew Ference
Alain Goulet
Matt Hunwick
Steve Kampfer
Nathan McIver
Adam McQuaid
Jeff Penner
Joe Rullier
Dennis Seidenberg
Mark Stuart
Cody Wild

Goaltenders

Adam Courchaine
Matt Dalton
Michael Hutchinson
Tuukka Rask
Nolan Schaefer
Tim Thomas

Sticktap to WEEI's DJ Bean for getting this information out quickly.

Not willing to chance it with such a young lineup, the Bruins organization has signed center Wyatt Smith for Providence. Smith adds even more veteran depth at center to a Providence lineup that only previously had Jeremy Reich as a veteran forward, and he'll serve as Trent Whitfield's replacement of sorts.

Smith is from Thief River Falls, Minn., the same town goalie prospect Zane Gothberg hails from. He's floated around the NHL and AHL since being drafted by Phoenix in 1999, scoring 10 total career NHL goals through 211 games and 160 goals through 550 career AHL games. He spent the entirety of last season with Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, Wilkes Barre-Scranton.

Although the signing of Smith means less playing time for one or more younger players, it's likely the team will benefit overall from Smith's presence on the team in Providence. Smith served as captain last year in Wilkes-Barre and served as a mentor to the younger players, so that part of Whitfield's missing role will be filled as well. It also gives the Bruins more options when callups are necessary.

Details of his contract to follow, but likely he's on a two-way, one-year deal worth league minimum.

Florida seems very inclined to send things to New England in 2010. Aside from the usual snowbirds returning to their homeland, and that dastardly hurricane Earl which will probably cause some damage and power outages in coastal New England, we've also received a return in the form of three hockey players formerly of Sunrise, FL; Dennis Seidenberg, Nathan Horton, and Gregory Campbell. Batten down the hatches, put cardboard over your windows if you live on the Cape, and get ready - these Sunshine State callups are about to make waves in Boston.

Category 5: Nathan Horton

Hurricane Nate, 2005.

The most dangerous cog in the two trades between Boston and Florida is forward Nathan Horton. Cornelius over at the Hockey Blog Adventure put together a nice little compilation about Horton a few days ago, including a video of Horton fighting Hal Gill. He's a fighter, you ask? Well, not really. He's been in 14 fights since the start of his hockey career, but he knows how to defend himself. He's also put up over 20 goals in the last five seasons. His career-high was 31 goals in 2006-2007, a season in which he played all 82 games; the following season he also played in every game, and his combined points total for each of those seasons was 62. Those two seasons also accounted for his highest TOI totals; over 18 minutes per game, as a first-line winger.

Horton is due for a comeback of fairly epic proportions. He, like many other players, has had solid cold streaks; however, he still managed to score 57 points through 65 games last year - which projects out to 76 total points through 82 games if he stays healthy. Combine that with the fact that he'll probably be starting on a line with Marc Savard or possibly David Krejci, two incredibly skilled centers, and that points total could increase even further. The addition of Horton will bolster the Bruins' points total over the course of the season without detracting from the B's physical play. It appears that he'll be lining up with Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, if Julien is set on keeping Wheeler, Krejci, and Ryder as a line; with the combined physicality and goal scoring of a healthy, hungry Lucic and Horton and the smart play of a hopefully fully-recovered Savard, the Bruins could potentially have the most physical first line in the league.

The last category 5 hurricane to actually hit New England was the Long Island Express of 1938. It was a benchmark in New England Weather history, killing over 100 people and causing massive structural damage. Others have started in the tropics as Cat 5 storms and hit New England as weaker storms. Horton has the potential to be the Bruins' 2010 benchmark, if all goes well.

Category 2: Dennis Seidenberg

Hurricane Dennis, 2005.

Oh, 2009-2010 Dennis Seidenberg, we hardly knew ye. You swooped in at the trade deadline, swapped from Florida for Byron Bitz and a prospect, and wore Aaron Ward's 44 for 17 games. Your time with us was so brief, we didn't really know what to do about it at first. You appeared to be such a solid presence on the blueline, helping the Bruins into position to take the 6th seed in the playoffs...and then you checked Nikolai Kulemin into the boards, and his skate blade as he fell turned your wrist into so much diced meat. Woe.

This year will be different. Barring injury, Seidenberg adds depth to the Bruins' defense. He scored 32 points in 79 games last year (several in tandem with Horton), as well as leading the league in blocked shots, and is essentially an upgrade from Dennis Wideman, with whom he was paired several times last season. The 29-year-old German will be able to supplement Zdeno Chara's veteran presence on an increasingly younger blueline, especially with the addition of Adam McQuaid. Although we only saw flashes of brilliance last year from the gritty Seidenberg, expect to see an entire season of shot-blocking, minutes-eating, german-spewing awesome from Seidenberg. If Marco Sturm's going to be out for half the season, we've got to get that angry language from someone.

Hurricane Earl, the badass bombing up the coast right now, is a Category 3 storm. By comparison, Hurricane Bob (remember him?) was a Category 2. Category 2 storms aren't too outrageous to see in New England; they're dangerous, however, typically causing major structural damage and crazy riptides.  Dennis Seidenberg is basically a Cat 2 for the Bruins next year. He's not going to deliver an epic beatdown of goal-scoring, and he won't even be a historically fantastic player, but he'll do loads of damage in other ways: preventing goals, contributing to the league-best defense, and setting a good example for an increasingly youth-driven team. In the long term, he'll affect this team for the better.

Tropical Storm: Gregory Campbell

There isn't even a good Hurricane named Greg. Just a Tropical Storm. It's like they knew!

In the grand scheme of things, Gregory Campbell probably isn't going to make much of a splash in the Bruins' system. He's a fourth line guy who plays fourth line minutes, brought in to fill a role that's seemingly already occupied partially by Daniel Paille. A throw-in in the Horton-Wideman trade, he's also likely the reason Sobotka was traded to St. Louis; a glut of centers made it reasonable to trade the one who probably won't produce very well.

Campbell, unlike Sobotka, is more versatile; he fought seven times last year, additionally, although nearly all of them were losses or draws. He has been billed as a "solid bottom-6 forward with good defensive skills." He's a Paille upgrade, or a substitute for Bégin, who was incredibly effective on the penalty kill.

Gregory Campbell is the tropical storm of this bunch. It's not that he's ineffective, because tropical storms are hardly that; rather, they can still cause significant amounts of damage, just less so than their bigger siblings. They also have a shorter shelf life. Campbell stands to gain a lot by performing well; the expectations are miniscule. He'll line up with Paille and Thornton and play fourth line minutes, with possibly Marchand in place of Paille; that has the potential to be a massively annoying fourth line. With Marchand's yapping, Thornton's fists, and Campbell's solid, smart defensive abilities, hilarity is certain to ensue, even if goals don't. In addition, it would not be a surprise if this line renders Paille unneccessary to the team in general.

Although it seems a bit silly to compare players to tropical storms, the fact of the matter is that overall, Boston has seemingly won this exchange. Between losing Bitz and Wideman (and a few picks next year, which shouldn't matter in the long run as Toronto's first rounder should make up for that) and minor-leaguer Craig Weller, the Bruins seemingly haven't gotten rid of many players of value - Bitz was a solid fourth-liner, that's all. Weller wasn't even that great in Providence. And Wideman was the brunt of a million bad-tempered jokes last year in Boston. In return, the Bruins have received a piece of the puzzle to solve their scoring issues last year, a defenseman who solidifies the Bruins' presence on the blueline, and a cheap fourth-liner to replace Bégin. Cautious optimism is definitely prevailing for next season.

Most imports from Florida aren't that great - tacky souvenirs, sunburns, nausea from too many rides on Space Mountain, actual hurricanes - but as long as they don't suffer from seasonal affective disorder, these three should do quite well in Boston.

If you're on the coast today, stay safe.

Shawn Thornton has proven himself to be quite the athlete this summer. And none of it has to do with his efforts on the ice.

Earlier this month, Thornton played a stellar first base at Milan Lucic’s Rock ‘n’ Jock Celebrity Charity Softball game, hit third and smacked the ball all around Lowell’s LeLacheur field. When approached after the game, both he and Lucic offered their services to the Red Sox. Per sources, Theo Epstein is yet to make contact with them.

Just three days later, at his own Putts and Punches event he drove the ball all over the golf course - not such a promising turn of phrase as it is in baseball - while raising money for more charitable causes.

Thornton signed an extension at the beginning of the offseason that will keep the gritty winger in a Bruins sweater for another two seasons. His veteran presence will surely be a welcome addition to a team that will fill out with young talent over those two seasons, but Thomas isn’t worrying about that just yet.

When Something’s Bruin caught up with Thornton before Lucic’s softball game, he was deferential in discussing his baseball skills, excited about helping the community but most of all, looking forward to hockey season.

Although it’s been a rocky off-season for the Bruins and Thornton was saddened by the trade of his good friend Dennis Wideman, he remained enthusiastic about the year ahead.

"That's the hard part of the business that you have to put up with every year," Thornton allowed.

He spoke candidly about the rumors surrounding Marc Savard, saying that “it’s part of the game, and until it happens there’s no reason to fret.”

“I haven’t seen them play yet,” he said when asked about Tyler Seguin and Jordan Caron, “but I had dinner with Tyler when he was in town after the draft and he seems like the real deal.”

Thornton has always been willing to go the extra mile for his teammates, and reaching out to Seguin is just another example of his capacity to be a leader on a team chock full of them. While potting goals has never been his strength, having his teammates’ back has, and it seems that Thornton is making every effort to let his fellow Bruins know that they can count on him.

More than Thornton’s sporting accolades this summer, he’s managed to improve upon a team chemistry that many think was lacking last year. His ability to keep building and defending that chemistry will go a long way to the Bruins’ success in the year ahead.

With Stamkos giving Recchi his praise and telling media that Recchi really taught him what it's like to be in the NHL, many believe that it will be Recchi's role to take youngster Tyler Seguin under his wing. Seguin, drafted number two overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, hasbeen linked to having the same playing style as Stamkos. Milan Lucic, Recchi's linemate last season, didn't shy away from praising Recchi when Something's Bruin caught up to him at his Rock 'n' Jock Charity Softball Event.

"We know what we're going to get from Rex," said Lucic. "He wouldn't be out here if he couldn't go 100% every day, I mean he's the Recching ball. What his role is is up to coach, but I think we'll have another big year from him."

The 42-year old, 21-year veteran will look to lead a familiar core into unfamiliar territory. The Bruins have been unsuccessful in getting to the Conference Finals, losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games in 2008-2009 and losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in 7 games in 2009-2010. While Recchi's leadership will never be in question, expecting a 42 year old to produce similar stats from 2009-2010 or 2008-2009 is a little unrealistic. It should be noted that despite his age, Recchi has played 65+ games every year after the 1994-1995 season where he played 49 games (39 in Montreal, 10 in Philadelphia). At some point, his body has to break down, doesn't it?

Last season the Bruins saw Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, David Krejci, Mark Stuart, Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg - even after being acquired in a trade - all miss significant time due to injuries. Recchi, Ryder and Wheeler were the regulars on the ice. This season will be no different for the elder statesman in the Bruins locker room. Another year brings another challenge for the former Stanley Cup Champion; bringing a cup to Boston.

The AHL released their 2010-2011 schedule today, including the P-Bruins schedule. Along with the usual division rivalry games, the baby B's will play in a home-and-home with the Springfield Falcons to start the season, wearing their Providence Reds throwback jerseys. The Falcons will wear their vintage Springfield Indians jerseys to commemorate the AHL's 75th season.

Games of note at "The Dunk" include the following: the P-Bruins will host the new Albany Devils at the end of October, Abbotsford of the North division (Calgary's AHL affiliate) for two games in November, and the newly created Charlotte Checkers (Carolina's affiliate, formerly the Albany River Rats) in December and again in March. The reigning Calder Cup champs, Washington's affiliate Hershey Bears, swing through Providence in February.

Providence will also travel to Abbotsford, BC to square off against the Heat for two games.

You can view the entire Providence (and AHL) schedule here.

The drive from Boston to Providence isn't an unpleasant one.

There's traffic if you hit it at the wrong times; if it's warm out, you still have to deal with Cape Cod traffic for part of it and if you try to head out of Boston on 93 south at rush hour, you'd better hope you've got some good tunes on your MP3 player or stereo, because you'll be sitting around for a while.

The Bruins are lucky that traffic is the greatest of their problems when calling up players to fill in for injuries. It makes the 13th forward / 7th defenseman a completely optional situation; why make a guy sit in the press box if he can drive an hour south and get some actual playing time in? Although this isn't an option for players on one-way contracts, there are clearly some advantages to having two-way guys just a short drive away. For a team like San Jose, this isn't an option - they fly players across the country only to have them sit in the press box, stuck without a place to play.

Last season, there was never a question about who to call up as the 13th foward. Providence struggled offensively all season, and there were no prospects who were prepared to make the jump to the NHL. Brad Marchand was injured for part of the season, although he was used as a callup several times; behind him, Mikko Lehtonen and Zach Hamill were the two youngsters who may have been closest. Considering that they've both been busts in one-game callups in the past, Boston opted to go with veteran presence and use Trent Whitfield as the Boston-Providence floater.

Was that a good decision, in retrospect? Absolutely. Why throw an untested forward into the mix when he's not proven in the minor professional leagues - or worse yet, if he's a proven bust? Although Whitfield may not have scored a single goal in his time in Boston, he wasn't exactly on a scoring line - paired with Steve Begin and Shawn Thornton, their job was to fill minimal minutes and stir up the other team.

Trent Whitfield is out for the season rehabbing a torn achilles. Who will be the 13th forward in a season that starts brightly for both Boston and Providence, with Jordan Caron, Joe Colborne, Brad Marchand, and even Max Sauve chomping at the bit to get a chance to wear the spoked B?

Answer: none of the above. Remember this guy?

Jeremy Reich battles against the team he played for in 09-10

Jeremy Reich floated between Boston and Providence for the 2006-2007 season, before playing an entire season in Boston the following year and an entire season in Providence the year after that. He's familiar with the system, he captained the Baby B's to an Eastern Conference Final against the Hershey Bears two seasons ago, and he's widely regarded as one of the two best locker room presences the P-Bruins have seen recently. He played in the New York Islanders' system last season, although he spent a majority of it on injured reserve recovering from an injury to his wrist.

If disaster strikes and a forward goes out in October or November, you can put money on the fact that it'll be Jeremy Reich - or possibly Brad Marchand, if his season starts well - that will be driving up 95 to 93 to the Garden over Colborne or Caron.

Arguably, this is something that's been pretty standard for the Bruins over the last few years - giving veteran AHLers a spot on the big club over potentially stellar rookies. We saw it last year with the callups of Wozniewski and Larman, and in previous years with the callup of Pelletier; the Bruins seem to like to give new players a chance to simmer and develop in the Prov before giving them their shot. Matt Hunwick and Mark Stuart both went through it, Adam McQuaid is going through the process right now and will likely make it to Boston by the All-Star break, and the possibility is definitely there for Caron or Colborne to make the jump mid-season.

For now, though - it's all on Jeremy Reich, the former and future baby B's captain. Get ready for the return of number 53.