Bruins ink defenseman Soderstrom to one-year deal

After obtaining the rights to Swedish defenseman Victor Soderstrom on Friday, the Bruins inked the blueliner to a one-year, two-way deal that carries an NHL cap hit of $775,000 on Saturday.

Originally the 11th overall pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2019, Soderstrom was obtained from the Chicago Blackhawks for defenseman Ryan Mast and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Soderstrom had never played for the Blackhawk organization, which had picked him up from Arizona/Utah when they took on the Shea Weber contract.

In 53 games with Arizona over parts of four NHL seasons, Soderstrom posted 1-10-11 totals. In 170 career AHL games with Tucson, he had 16-66-82 totals.

But the 6-foot, 196-pound Soderstrom had a good 2024-25 season for Brynas IF of the Swedish Hockey League, posting 9-28-37 and was plus-28 in 49 games.

As of now, they have an opening on the right side after the Brandon Carlo deadline trade. They picked up Henri Jokiharju to fill the spot for the remainder of the ‘24-25 season, but Jokiharju is still scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Whether Soderstrom can fill a hole on the back end will most likely be sussed out in training camp, but the B’s will most likely need to procure more veteran help on the back end.

Mast, meanwhile, was a sixth-round pick (181st overall) for the Bruins in 2021. He spent much of 2023-24, his first pro season, playing for the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. In 2024-25, he played 37 games for Providence with five assists and was plus-7.

— By Steve Conroy

Clark returns and scores 32 points to lead Indiana Fever past New York Liberty

INDIANAPOLIS >> Caitlin Clark scored 25 of her season-high 32 points in the first half and in her return after a five-game absence due to injury helped lead the Indiana Fever to a 102-88 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday.

Clark finished 11-for-20 shooting including tying her career-high with seven made 3-pointers in 14 attempts. With Clark’s presence opening the floor, the Fever (5-5) set a franchise record with 17-made 3s in 35 attempts (48.6%). Clark also distributed nine assists and grabbed eight rebounds.

It was Clark’s third career WNBA game in which she scored at least 30 points, grabbed at least five rebounds and distributed at least five assists.

Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points, Lexie Hull 14, Aliyah Boston scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and reserve Sydney Colson scored 10. It was the first time this season Indiana reached triple digits.

Adams agrees to a 3-year, $39M contract extension with the Rockets, AP source says

HOUSTON >> Center Steven Adams has agreed to a three-year, $39 million contract extension to remain with the Houston Rockets, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal won’t become official until July. The extension was first reported by ESPN.

Adams, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, has been with the Rockets since a trade from Memphis in February 2024.

He missed the entire 2023-24 season while recovering from knee surgery before returning this season. He averaged 3.9 points and 5.8 rebounds in 58 regular-season games.

— The Associated Press