The Columbus Blue Jackets, parent club of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, have acquired defenseman Ryan Caldwell from the New York Islanders, parent club of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, in exchange for forward Eric Boguniecki.
Caldwell has been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch, while Boguniecki is expected to join the Sound Tigers later this week.
Caldwell, 25, has tallied four goals and 32 assists for 36 points with 103 penalty minutes in 134 career AHL games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers the past two seasons. In 2005-06, he was scoreless in two NHL games with the Islanders and notched two goals, 13 assists and 38 penalty minutes with Bridgeport.
As a rookie in 2004-05, he collected two goals, 19 assists and 65 penalty minutes in 73 games with the Sound Tigers. He has not yet played in 2006-07.
Drafted by the Islanders in 2000, Caldwell played four seasons at the University of Denver, registering 26 goals, 62 assists and 306 penalty minutes in 156 games from 2000-04. The native of Deloraine, Man., earned WCHA All-Rookie honors in 2001 and earned NCAA West First All-America honors as a senior, helping the Pioneers capture the 2004 NCAA championship.
Boguniecki was signed by the Blue Jackets as a free agent on August 22. In six games with Syracuse this season, he was scoreless with eight penalty minutes.
The 31-year-old native of New Haven, Conn., captured the Les Cunningham Award as the most valuable player in the American Hockey League in 2001-02, when he tallied 84 points in 63 games for the Worcester IceCats.
In 234 career AHL games with Syracuse, Peoria, Worcester and Louisville, Boguniecki has recorded 115 goals and 140 assists for 255 points, to go with 543 PIM. Boguniecki has also amassed 34 goals and 42 assists for 76 points in 167 career NHL matches with Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Florida.
Last season, Boguniecki registered six goals and 10 assists in 47 NHL games with the Blues and Penguins, and also skated in two AHL contests with Peoria.
Boguniecki was a First Team AHL All-Star in 2002, and appeared in the AHL All-Star Classic in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
