The Boston Bruins have recalled forwards Martins Karsums and Vladimir Sobotka on an emergency basis from their AHL affiliate in Providence. Both players will join Boston for practice on Thursday and accompany the team on its upcoming two-game road trip to New Jersey and Nashville.
Karsums, 22, has skated in three games for Boston this season over two previous call-ups, registering one assist while averaging eight minutes of ice-time per contest. The third-year pro made his NHL debut on December 13, 2008 against the Atlanta Thrashers and later earned his first career NHL point with an assist in Boston’s 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on January 10.
The right wing ranks third on the Atlantic Division-leading P-Bruins with 41 points, including a club-best 17 goals to go along with 24 assists in 43 games. Karsums has not played for Providence since prior to the AHL’s All-Star break as he was helping the Latvian National Team qualify for the 2010 Olympics. In three qualifying games, the Riga, Latvia, native scored four goals and added three assists in wins over teams from Hungary, the Ukraine and Italy. He was reassigned to Providence on Wednesday. Karsums’ trip home came after shining in the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic where the PlanetUSA reserve posted two goals, three assists and a plus-three rating.
An alternate captain, Karsums has recorded five point-streaks of at least three games this year for Providence, nine multiple-point outings, and he notched his 100th career point with a goal on October 12, 2008 against the Springfield Falcons. Karsums set career-highs with 20 goals, 43 assists and 63 points in 79 games for the P-Bruins in 2007-08. He added another 10 points, including seven goals, in 10 playoff contests before recording three points in two games for Latvia in the IIHF World Championships. The forward was drafted by Boston 64th overall in round two of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Sobotka, 21, has appeared in 19 games for Boston this season, recording three points (g, 2a) over three recalls. The second-year center scored his lone NHL goal of the year on December 21, 2008 at the St. Louis Blues before later suiting up for his 100th professional game on January 15 against the New York Islanders. Sobotka has added 27 points (12g, 15a) in 25 games for Providence, powered by nine multiple-point outings and an eight-game AHL point-streak (4g, 7a) that spanned nearly two months around call-ups.
Sobotka split the 2007-08 campaign between Boston and Providence, appearing in 48 regular season games with Boston while amassing seven points (g, 6a), plus another six Stanley Cup Playoff contests, where he scored two goals versus the Montreal Canadiens. A native of Trebic, Czech Republic, Sobotka had 20 points (10g, 10a) and a plus-12 rating in 18 regular season games for the P-Bruins a year ago. He was drafted by Boston 106th overall in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
