One of the well-worn realities for AHL teams is that they soon inherit the after-effects of NHL parent club’s problems.
Injuries have stacked up quickly for the Boston Bruins this month.
Defenseman Charlie McAvoy had facial surgery this week and is out indefinitely. So is defenseman Jordan Harris, who is on Boston’s long-term injured reserve list. Their forward group is not in good shape, either. Viktor Arvidsson, Elias Lindholm, and Casey Mittelstadt all find themselves on injured reserve with the Bruins out on the West Coast this week.
Since a seven-game winning streak put the surprising Bruins well into contention, dropping three of their past four games has left them below the Eastern Conference playoff line. It’s early for the 12-10-0-0 Bruins, but
And then there are the Providence Bruins, Boston’s AHL affiliate in the AHL’s longest-running partnership at 34 seasons. Providence, a consistent AHL contender, got off to a 12-1-0-0 start before Laval Rocket goaltender Jacob Fowler shut them out at Amica Insurance Pavilion this past Sunday afternoon. Even with that loss, the P-Bruins are just one point off the league-leading 25-point pace that has been set by the Colorado Eagles and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins so far.
But Boston’s injury problems have cut into the Providence roster dramatically. Alex Steeves, an offseason signing after a career-best 36 goals last season for the Toronto Marlies, went to Boston on Nov. 8. Then came this past Monday when Matěj Blümel, whose 39 goals with the Texas Stars in 2024-25 led the AHL, and Riley Tufte got the call from Boston. Tufte had eight goals in 13 games with Providence and tallied in his Boston season debut this week.
A day after the Blümel and Tufte promotions, Boston summoned Providence blueliner Michael Callahan. With McAvoy out for the foreseeable future, Callahan could be in Boston for some time. Unless Boston intends to bring in help from outside of the organization any time soon, then Providence might not want to count on Blümel, Steeves, and Tufte returning soon, either.
However, the Boston organization has long prioritized putting a top product on the ice, and this still a dangerous team that has a deep line-up that starts with the excellent Michael DiPietro-Simon Zajicek goaltending tandem. Captain Patrick Brown is still with Providence, and the 33-year-old Calder Cup champion is 6-10-16 through 14 games, and the Providence blueline remains amply experienced.
But Providence is not sitting still.
The P-Bruins are bringing in a top blueline option in as help. They signed defenseman Christian Wolanin to a professional tryout Thursday. Wolanin, 30, is coming off a Calder Cup championship and a 40-point regular season with the Abbotsford Canucks in 2024-25. Along with 86 NHL games, he also won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman in 2022-23. He took on a dominant role on Abbotsford’s postseason run and is more than capable of being a top-pairing option for head coach Ryan Mougenel.
The P-Bruins have also brought in forward help from their ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners. Coming in are Shawn Element and Jacob Perreault, two forwards with significant AHL experience. Element, who is 25, spent last season with the Ontario Reign and has played 208 AHL games. He had 1-4-5 in six games with the Mariners. The 23-year-old Perreault had 5-9-14 in making 13 appearances with Maine. He went to the Anaheim Ducks as a 2020 first-round pick and has played 218 games at the AHL level.
Undoubtedly, the Providence line-up has taken some significant hits lately. But adding one top defenseman and two established AHL forwards should help to offset some of that sting.
A demanding upcoming schedule also underscored the need for Providence to act this week. The P-Bruins host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night before they welcome Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to town Saturday. But then a stretch of eight of nine games on the road begins next Wednesday at Toronto spanning the next three weeks.Â
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