Bruins and Andrew Alberts Agree to Contract Extension

[Smerri1029]

BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club and defenseman Andrew Alberts have agreed to a multi-year contract extension.

"Andrew is a young player with a lot of upside, and it was a priority of ours to get him signed to a multi-year deal this off-season," said Chiarelli. "He is a big, tough and physical player who we think is only going to get better as he continues to develop as a NHL defenseman."

"I am glad that we got this done early during the off-season and now I can concentrate on working out and preparing for next season," said Alberts. "Between my years at Boston College and my time with the Bruins, I have come to love playing in Boston and the fans here. I am very excited to be staying and playing in Boston for the foreseeable future."

The upcoming season will be Alberts' fourth with the Bruins organization after spending four years as a student-athlete at Boston College. The 6-4, 218 pound defenseman has appeared in 146 games in a Bruins uniform over the past two seasons, tallying 17 points (one goal and sixteen assists).

Last season Alberts appeared in 76 games for the Bruins, recording career season-highs in assists and points with 10. Alberts also led the team in penalty minutes with 124.

The Bruins acquired Alberts with their fifth pick (179th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Providence Bruins in April 2005 after the conclusion of his senior season at Boston College. He then went on to finish the 2004-2005 AHL regular season, as well as play in the AHL playoffs.

Alberts made is NHL debut on October 5, 2005 in a 2-1 opening day loss to Montreal. He went on to appear in 73 games in the 2005-2006 season, recording one goal and six assists. His first career NHL point came on an assist in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo on November 19, 2005.

[blackngold]

thank you... my favorite bruin by far

hopefully its more than 2 years

[jkidd]

Good move by the B's. Very smart to lock this up-and-comer up for a few years.

[Smerri1029]

2 Year Deal
--
Andrew Alberts will earn a total of $2.5 million over the next two seasons, with an annual cap hit of $1.25 million.

Alberts will be paid $1.1 million in 2007-08, then make $1.4 million in 2008-09.

Alberts earned $661,300 this past season. The defenseman will turn 26 later this month.

[Thornton 19]

Big Fan of Alberts,He played well with Chara when they were together kid can hit and will stick up for his team.

[steg1989]

Good move by the Bruins. He's still developing into a stronger player. He has no fear to fight, but he just needs to start cranking out a few wins here and there. His defense is great with Chara, plus he's very physical. Hope to see him last here in a Bruins uniform.

[Isles4life]

Great move by Boston. The guy has gotten progressively better over his brief NHL career and he brings a very welcome physical edge to the game. I'm a big fan.

[Snipes19]

This move can't hurt at all!

Alberts is a solid defenseman, and he's very young. He has a lot of potential and he looks to have a bright future.
Plus, he can drop the gloves and fight every once in a while.
Good move by the Bruins.

[BrianTheAdsFan]

It's good to see players get progressively better and get rewarded for it. Good move by the Bruins.

[ProbieRules]

Still has alot to improve on, especially fighting wise, but he does hit a ton, and often was the only guy on the team to play with any emotion...Including our leader, our Captain, our huge physical d-man...who had a total of ZERO fights last season...woo hoo way to go BIG Z!

[DaveBrown69]

He did fight last year so I'm glad he's staying put!