The Bruins have re-signed one of their last remaining restricted free agents, inking crafty center Austin Czarnik to a one-year, two-way contract worth $675,000 at the NHL level and $150,000 in the minors.
In a season split between the NHL and AHL, Czarnik skated in 49 NHL contests for the Big B’s last season, scoring five goals and 13 points (with three power-play points) in 13:01 of time on ice per game, and tallied six goals and 23 points in 22 AHL games.
An undrafted college free agent signing, the Michigan-born Czarnik has been beyond productive during his stints with the P-Bruins, with 26 goals and 86 points in 93 AHL contests, and five goals and 10 points in 20 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
Mainly a center throughout his career, Czarnik saw some time on the wing during his time with the Big B’s -- including wing time spent to David Krejci’s left and/or time with Dominic Moore on the fourth line -- but spent the majority of his five-on-five time on a line with Riley Nash (his linemate for over 200 minutes) and Matt Beleskey.
Re-signing the 5-foot-9 Czarnik keeps the organizational depth down the middle intact, and gives the Black and Gold a seemingly capable backup option should they opt to walk away from Ryan Spooner following his arbitration hearing later this month.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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