Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli announced the signing of three players on Thursday, most notably defenseman Adam McQuaidm, who signed a three-year extension.
The 24-year-old McQuaid established himself as a solid, stay-at-home defenseman during his rookie season with the Bruins. In 67 games, McQuaid scored three goals and added 12 assists to go along with 96 penalty minutes. More impressive was his plus/minus rating of plus-30, which was tops among NHL rookies and fifth overall in the league.
He played in 23 playoff games and had four assists while playing solid defense with defensive partner Tomas Kaberle.
McQuaid was originally drafted in the second round (55th overall) by Columbus in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He was traded to Boston on May 16, 2007 for a second-round pick in the 2007 draft.
The 6-foot-5, 207-pound McQuaid played most of his first two-plus seasons with the Bruins organization in Providence, scoring 8 goals and adding 37 assists in 204 games.
The Bruins also signed forward Craig Cunnigham to an entry-level contract and defenseman Zach McKelvie to a one-year deal.
Cunnigham played last season in the Western Hockey League, scoring 27 goals and 60 assists in 71 games split between with Portland Winterhawks and Vancouver Giants. He added 7-14-21 totals in 21 playoff games with Portland. He was a fourth-round pick (97th overall) in 2010.
McKelvie, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound defenseman, played for Army in the Atlantic Hockey Conference of the NCAA from 2005-2008. He had 14 goals and 46 assists with the Black Knights. He originally signed with the Bruins in 2009, but his obligations with the U.S. Army prohibited his continuing his hockey career.