Bruins acquire forward Connolly from Lightning

The Boston Bruins acquired forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday for Boston's second-round picks in the 2015 and 2016 NHL Drafts.

Connolly, 22, has 12 goals, three assists and 38 penalty minutes in 50 games this season.

He said he was informed of the trade early Monday morning.

"I heard about it at about 1:30 a.m., I was a little surprised but that's the business and you know anything can happen," Connolly said. "I really enjoyed my four years with this organization and I thank them for the opportunity and I'll miss the teammates, the city and the fans. I'm looking forward to the opportunity with Boston."

Tampa Bay's first-round pick (No. 6) in the 2010 draft, Connolly has 18 goals, 14 assists and 72 penalty minutes in 134 games.

"He's a straight-line player but he makes plays and he can really shoot the puck," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told the Bruins website. "He's a player that we've looked at for a while. … He's a guy that we think can come in and help us right away and could have a long future for us."

The Bruins have second-round picks this year and next year from the trade that sent defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders prior to this season.