Bruins sign Boychuk to a 1-year contract

Jul 2, 2009 - 1:52 PM BOSTON(AP) -- The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Johnny Boychuk to a one-year contract.

Terms of the deal announced late Wednesday were not disclosed.

The 25-year-old Boychuk won the Eddie Shore Award as the American Hockey League's outstanding defenseman for the 2008-09 season. He led all AHL defensemen with 20 goals and 45 assists in 78 games.

The Edmonton native has a plus-21 rating and has recorded 273 shots on goal, the most by an AHL defenseman since 2002.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Boychuk was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

He has played in five NHL games in his career.