Boston Bruins captain Joe Thornton has signed an agreement to play for a team in Switzerland next season if the NHL season is postponed by a lockout, his agent confirmed in an e-mail to The Associated Press yesterday.

Thornton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NHL draft and the team's top scorer last season with 23 goals and 50 assists, has signed to play with Hockey Club Davos of the Swiss Elite League, his agent, J.P. Barry, said.

Bruins spokeswoman Heidi Holland said the team could not confirm the signing, saying Thornton had not notified the team and is under no obligation to do so. She said the signing does not affect Thornton's NHL status.

Thornton's former Boston teammate, forward Brian Rolston, signed a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild yesterday, giving the team one of its highest-profile free agents in its four-year history.

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