BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Don Sweeney announced today, July 18, that the club has hired Chris Kelly as Player Development Coordinator and Andrew Dickson as an Amateur Scout.

Kelly, 38, spent the 2018-19 campaign as the Development Coach for the Ottawa Senators. Prior to serving in that role with Ottawa, Kelly played 14 seasons as a center and left wing in the NHL, including six seasons with the Boston Bruins. Kelly appeared in 288 contests with the Bruins, scoring 43 goals and notching 58 assists for 101 points. Kelly was a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. Over 25 playoff games in 2011, Kelly recorded five goals and eight assists for 13 points.

BOSTON - For the fourth consecutive summer - and fifth time since 2016 - the Bruins will visit China with O.R.G. Packaging and its chairman, Mr. Zhou Yunjie, in an effort to continue growing the sport of hockey, strengthen the connection between the Bruins and the local Chinese community in New England, and educate North American residents about the growth of hockey in China.

"Bruins Global: China 2019" will take place from July 17-27 in Beijing and will feature youth hockey clinics conducted by current Providence Bruins players Anton Blidh and Wiley Sherman, along with Bruins alumni P.J. Stock and members of the Boston Bruins Corporate Partnership and Youth Hockey Development Teams.

The Bruins have been heavily involved in growing the game of hockey in China since partnering with O.R.G. Packaging in 2015, when the team became the first NHL franchise and first North American professional sports organization to partner with O.R.G. Packaging, which is based in Beijing.

Here is a look back at the team's previous trips to China:

BOSTON - Five years ago, the Ice Bucket Challenge took the world by storm and helped change the fight against ALS forever.

And on Monday, Bruins forwards Charlie Coyle and Chris Wagner, as well as B's legend Ray Bourque, were on hand in Copley Square for a celebration marking the anniversary.

The event, put on by the ALS Association, was also a tribute to Boston icon Pete Frates and New York native Pat Quinn, who both continue to battle the dreaded disease and were instrumental in making the Ice Bucket Challenge a world-wide phenomenon in July 2014.

BOSTON - Danton Heinen is back in the fold.

The Bruins came to terms with the versatile winger late Tuesday night on a two-year contract extension, worth an annual cap hit of $2.8 million. Heinen, who turned 24 last week, was a restricted free agent following the 2018-19 season, his second full campaign with the Black & Gold.

"I want to thank everyone who has given me this opportunity to be a part of the organization for two more years," Heinen, who made $925,000 last season, said during a conference call on Thursday afternoon. "I'm just very grateful and excited to be part of it…you look back and see how lucky you are and how grateful you are and then, no, you just get back to work and keep working as hard as you have and just keep on enjoying the game."

BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, July 9, that the team has signed forward Danton Heinen to a two-year contract extension through the 2020-21 season with an annual NHL cap hit of $2.8 million.

BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, July 8, that the team has signed Samuel Asselin and Brendan Woods to two-year AHL contracts. Sweeney also announced that the team has signed Chris Breen, Robert Lantosi, Joel Messner, and Alexey Solovyev to one-year AHL contracts.

BOSTON - Jakub Lauko is nothing if not honest.

After concluding his first NHL training camp, the 2018 third-round selection made it clear his goal was to play in Providence right away. Instead, Lauko's first season in North America was spent with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the QMJHL.

"I hated it the first month," Lauko said frankly when asked about if he was happy to spend the year in Quebec. "At the end of the season you just look at it with two trophies, it was the right choice after, and I think I changed a lot as a player. Improved my English too, and I think I'm different player after the season, different person and just happy that I made the choice."

BOSTON - Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, July 8, that the team has signed forward Peter Cehlarik to a one-year, two-way contract with an NHL cap hit of $700,000.

BOSTON - Eight months ago, Connor Clifton was still just dipping his toes into the choppy waters that are life in professional hockey. The blue liner was beginning his second season with Providence and was somewhere around 12^th on the Bruins' defensive depth chart.

But opportunity can come quickly in the National Hockey League. And when it did, Clifton made sure to take advantage.

A rash of injuries to Boston's defense corps in November forced the Quinnipiac alum into the lineup for his NHL debut in Dallas, launching a nine-game stint with the Black & Gold through early December that clearly left an impression on the Bruins' brass.

BOSTON - Don Sweeney kept busy on Monday as Boston's general manager inked seven players to contracts during the opening day of free agency. Among the transactions were a three-year contract extension for defenseman Connor Clifton, as well as free-agent deals for depth forwards Brett Ritchie and Par Lindholm.

Sweeney also announced the signings of forward Brendan Gaunce, goalie Max Lagacé, and restricted free agent and Providence winger Ryan Fitzgerald to one-year, two-way contracts. Defenseman Josiah Didier was also inked to an AHL contract.

"We fell one game short, and I still think we have a really good core coming back," Sweeney said of the 2018-19 season. "I've always said all along, we need to infuse internal competition, bring in some players that can fill some gaps and holes. We lost a couple good players, but I also want excitement generated as a result of the players who should recognize opportunity."

Here's a rundown of the day's transactions and more notes from Day 1 of free agency: