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Boston, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed defenseman Mark Stuart to a multi-year contract extension.  Per club policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.

Stuart's 2007-2008 season with the Bruins was marked by a number of career highs, including games played (82), goals (4), assists (4), and points (8).  Stuart was one of three Bruins to play in all 82 regular season games, joining Phil Kessel and Glen Metropolit, and played in all seven postseason contests.  He also represented Team USA at the 2008 IIHF World Championship this past May.

The Rochester, Minnesota native was selected by the Bruins as their first round draft pick (21st overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.  Before coming to Boston, he played for three years at Colorado College where he captained the team as a junior and was named the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Year in 2004-2005.  After playing the majority of the 2006-2007 season with the Providence Bruins (60 games), he made his NHL debut with Boston versus the New York Islanders on March 11, 2006.

In his three-year professional career, the 24-year-old has recorded 5-6-11 totals, playing in 114 games.  He made his first postseason appearance with the Bruins in their 2007-2008 playoff run, appearing in all seven games and notching one assist.

During college, Stuart captained Team USA to a gold medal for the first time ever in the 2004 World Junior Championships, repeating the same feat he had accomplished in 2002 at the World Under-18 Championships.

Chiarelli and Stuart will be available to the media on a conference call at 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 25.  Call-in details will be announced Wednesday morning.