01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, September 29, 2004

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Workers were making ice yesterday at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, and that can mean only one thing -- hockey's back.

While the National Hockey League remains in a lockout, American Hockey League teams are opening training camps this week, and the Providence Bruins will begin theirs today. There will be 39 players on the ice, including 10 from last year's team, which lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Portland Pirates.

Returning players include goaltenders Hannu Toivonen

and Peter Hamerlik, defensemen Kevin Dallman and Milan Jurcina, and forwards Brad Boyes, Andy Hilbert, Brendan Walsh, Martin Samuelsson, Colton Orr and Kris Vernarsky.

Another star attraction for the P-Bruins this season will be Patrice Bergeron, who completed a stellar rookie season for the Boston Bruins last year. A couple of Rhode Islanders will try to make the team -- Woonsocket's Justin Laverdiere and Johnston's Anthony D'Arpino.

No doubt the team will have a different, but improved, look from a year ago.

"Our team has a lot of character," said P-Bruins coach Scott Gordon. "There's a lot of guys here who have a reputation of being hard workers, and I think that's a characteristic any coach would want from his team."

Usually by this time, the majority of AHL players already have worked out with their NHL affiliates, and coaches have a pretty good idea what the team will look like. However, with no NHL training camps, Gordon met with the players yesterday at The Dunk and told them what to expect, and what he expects, before the team's first exhibition game Oct. 6 against Portland at URI's Boss Arena.

"With the numbers we have now," said Gordon, "we'll have to make our assessments quicker and get ready to play next week."

Not only will Gordon have little time to familiarize himself with his players, but the players will have to get used to the new rules and new ice surface the AHL has implemented -- as a test for the NHL -- this season.

The new ice surface at The Dunk yesterday resembled more of a clown's face than the actual playing surface most traditionalists are used to.

The blue lines and red line have been enlarged from 12 inches to 24, making the neutral zone larger. Goal lines have been moved from 13 to 11 feet from the end boards, while delayed offsides, or "tagging up," will be permitted to allow a more offensive game, with less stoppages in play. Also, there will be no-touch icing, as the whistle will blow immediately after the puck crosses the goal line.

Also, for the first seven weeks of the season there will be a specific area behind the net where goalies will be able to play the puck. There are two lines from the goal line to the end boards, basically making a box behind the net. This is the only area behind the goal line where goalies will be allowed to play the puck. But anything in front of the goal line is still fair game.

The changes to try to improve the game are here, and the players won't have too much time to adapt. However, the changes appear to have been well accepted by the players.

"Right away, the tag-up offsides is something that if you can become good at that," said Gordon, "you can really hem a team in. Right away (today), we'll be working on a drill that will put that in place. Every drill we do, we'll incorporate some part (of the changes)."

Goaltenders will certainly see more action as the changes -- and the higher caliber of players -- will no doubt make the netminder's job tougher.

For Providence, Toivonen will likely see the bulk of the work between the pipes this season, in only his second season as a pro. The 20-year-old Finn is looking forward to the improved play around the league, and if there's any positive to take from a NHL lockout, it's that, he said.

"It's great," said Toivonen. "It's an unbelievable thing for me. It's going to be a great league, and there's going to be a lot of great players down here, so it's going to be an awesome chance for me to get prepared for the future."

The future starts today for Toivonen and the rest of the Providence Bruins.