Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Drawing too many conclusions early in an AHL season can be a foolish undertaking.
But one preseason expectation certainly is holding true for the Providence Bruins: they can score.
A run of 19 goals to open this season has powered Providence to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when they went on to lead the league with 55 wins and 117 points. A potent power play has struck six times on its first 16 opportunities.
These Bruins have a nose for the net. They also possess a sense for NHL opportunities.
It helps when you are able to bag the AHL’s top two goal scorers in free agency, as the Boston Bruins did this summer. Matěj Blümel put together a dominant 2024-25 campaign for the Texas Stars, leading the AHL with 39 goals, tying for second overall with 72 points, and helping to take the team to the Western Conference Finals. Alex Steeves scored 36 times with the Toronto Marlies, earning his second straight trip to the AHL All-Star Classic. Both players are still just 25 years old, and both turned heads in training camp with Boston before being assigned to Providence.
And sure enough, Blümel and Steeves have six points apiece through four games. Up front, they join the likes of Georgii Merkulov, Fabian Lysell, Matthew Poitras, Riley Tufte, rookie Dans Locmelis and captain Patrick Brown in helping shape head coach Ryan Mougenel’s formidable roster.
The back end has a puck-mover in Victor Söderström, a former first-round draft pick who is back in North America following one year in the Swedish Hockey League. Like so many of his teammates, Providence represents another crack at the NHL for Söderström, who played 53 games over four years with the Arizona Coyotes. His rights were acquired by Boston in June, and he signed a one-year contract. And returning between the pipes is Michael DiPietro, who won the Baz Bastien Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender a year ago.
After spending the better part of the past two decades as a top contender, Boston fell to the bottom of the NHL’s Eastern Conference last season. The Bruins’ foundational franchise players have moved on, and general manager Don Sweeney has been tasked with overseeing the organization’s shift into a next era.
Standout AHL players look at organizations going through a transition like Boston’s as an opportunity. Blümel and Steeves signed with Boston on the first day of free agency, as did defenseman Jonathan Aspirot. Tufte re-upped for another season that same day. Brown, who logged 15 games for Boston in 2024-25, had already agreed to a one-year extension last May.
Opportunity beckoned, and while they may not have made opening-night rosters with the big club, an NHL recall is never far away. With Boston’s roster in transition, it’s a help-wanted situation.
Still, flashy point totals only go so far. NHL teams need dependable three-zone players. That’s a crucial part of the task entrusted to Mougenel, who is starting his fifth season leading the Boston affiliate. It’s a fine balance with so much talent on hand. Without squashing that offensive creativity, he must ice a team that can also handle play away from the puck.
“There’s a thirst to complete and make plays,” Mougenel said after a 5-3 win at Bridgeport last Friday night. “Playing the right way, that’s real important, and you’ll get your chances. When there’s an opportunity to make a play, make a play.
“[Brown] holds everybody accountable, not only the way he plays but the things he says, and I think he’s a great example for our young players.”
Mougenel will have plenty more practice time to get those systems, concepts, and details firmly into place. Home games this Friday against Springfield and Sunday vs. Bridgeport, followed by a trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton next week, will close out Providence’s October slate.
NHL teams want those dependable players, but they also seek winners. And great starts matter. They can get players to the NHL, and they can help the team ring up wins. Everyone in the AHL expects Providence to be a playoff team. This is a franchise that has not missed the postseason cut since 2012. But it’s also an organization that could use a long run in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Across the hockey world are AHL graduates who have used standout postseason performances to act as one final push into the NHL. The P-Bruins have won just one playoff series since 2017, and have not been to the Finals since their championship season in 1999.
Getting that playoff experience come April, May, and June depends on laying down a rock-solid foundation in the fall months. Teaching is always a top priority in the AHL, but especially when it’s October and November. Mougenel, the rest of the Providence coaching staff, and leaders like Brown stand especially important in the fall months. It’s enjoyable, too.
“They’re fun to watch,” Mougenel said. “They’re a fun group to coach.”