PROVIDENCE � The American Hockey League isn�t where Jordan Caron wants to be, but so far he is handling his demotion from the Boston Bruins with maturity and a positive attitude.

PROVIDENCE � The American Hockey League isn�t where Jordan Caron wants to be, but so far he is handling his demotion from the Boston Bruins with maturity and a positive attitude.

Caron, who last suited up for the Providence Bruins in 2012-13, has at times practiced and played indifferently during past AHL stints. But since he arrived on Tuesday there�s been no sign of that this time around.

Soon to be 24 years old, Caron�s work ethic in practice has been noticeable and it carried over to Friday night�s game against Worcester, when he played left wing with center Alex Khokhlachev and right wing David Pastrnak.

�I think maybe that was one of the issues earlier when I was getting sent down. I was getting, not depressed, but putting my head down a little bit, getting frustrated,�� said Caron, who was the Bruins� first round draft pick, 25th overall, in 2009.

�I�m older now. I�ve got to learn from the past. That�s one thing that I wanted to do was to come down here, keep improving, keep working on my game and help the team be better.��

At his best, the 6-foot-2 Caron plays the kind of heavy game along the boards that Boston demands on its fourth line. His role will be different in Providence, where he�ll play on the power play and on one of the top two lines.

Not having to worry about whether he�ll be in the lineup or a healthy scratch should give Caron a boost.

�Showing up for practice and for the game and knowing what�s in front of you, having your mind freed up a little bit, rather than worrying about (whether you are going to play). It�s helpful for anybody,�� said Boston assistant general manager Don Sweeney.

�He�s still a young player. It should be refreshing for him. It�s not in the arena he wants to be in right now, but he�s got a chance to continue to develop. Hopefully his confidence comes back and his game comes along with it.��

Caron agrees. �Everyone wants to play in the NHL, but (playing regularly in the AHL) is going to be good for me. We had a little chat the other day about just having fun, get back to what I was doing in junior, having an offensive role and enjoying the game.

�It�s not always easy to play six-seven minutes a night and being scratched one game out of two. Can�t complain � it�s the NHL � but obviously you want to play more and have a bigger role.��

Said P-Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy: �He wants to enjoy the game again. It seems like he�s in an OK place, mentally. Now he�s got to go out and perform. That�s where it�s at.��

Old acquaintances

Providence�s Brian Ferlin skated against two old friends on Friday night � Worcester�s Ryan Carpenter and Daniil Tarasov � while another � Providence College goalie Jon Gillies � watched from the stands at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

Like Ferlin, Carpenter is a Floridian. �I grew up playing with him in Florida since I was 10 years old. When I�m home, I work out with Carpenter, skate with him a bunch,�� Ferlin said.

Tarasov and Ferlin were linemates with the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League in 2010-11. Gillies was the starting goalie for the Ice.

No secrets between Sharks and Bruins

Providence plays Worcester 12 times this season. Cassidy has competed for years against the Sharks� Roy Sommer, who has been the coach of San Jose�s AHL teams since 1998.

�I don�t think there will be a ton of surprises. They�re going to pursue pucks, try to get it behind your D. They�re going to swarm the puck in the D zone. Work on point shots to the net. They always get a lot of shots. They�re going to have some breakdowns from being aggressive. In the past we�ve been able to take advantage on odd-man rushes,�� said Cassidy.

Where they come from

As of Saturday, Americans outnumbered Canadiens, 12 to 11, on the Providence roster, which also has a Swede, a Czech and a Russian. Twelve P-Bruins played college hockey, including four Ivy Leaguers. Bobby Robins, whose 33rd birthday was Friday, is the oldest player. Pastrnak, 18, is the youngest.

Afternoon games start Sunday

Sunday�s 3 p.m. game against Portland will be the first of 17 Sunday afternoon home games for Providence. It will also be the finale of the first of 14 three-games-in-three days weekends.