Jiri Patera is expected to be a key player for Providence this season. (Photo courtesy of Providence Bruins)
First things first: The Providence Bruins are not going to win 54 games again, like they did last season.
Many key members of the record-setting 2025-26 team have moved on, including AHL MVP Michael DiPietro, all-world captain Patrick Brown and AHL Coach of the Year Ryan Mougenel.
The top nine scorers a year ago are long gone. The leading returner is Dans Locmelis, who finished 10th in points on last year’s team.
But despite the huge turnover, the 2026-27 P-Bruins figure to be in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Atlantic Division.
It will be a veteran team, led by new head coach Trent Whitfield, who received a well-earned promotion after a decade as an assistant coach.
“I’m excited. We’re fast. We’ve got some size. We’re heavy. We’ve got some mobility on the back end, some size and jam back there,” he said.
Jeremy Rogalski, Bruins Assistant General Manager, Analytics and Strategy, seconds Whitfield’s optimism.
“We’re going to be a competitive group. We’ve got a lot of players down here who are going to be really hungry to prove themselves and to make an impact,” he said.
“We’ve got a very deep group. We’ve got four lines, three D pairs, two goalies. Guys are going to be fighting for lineup spots every night. I think that’s going to keep the group hungry.”
Trying to predict who is going to finish where in the AHL is often an exercise in futility, but Providence has the makings of an excellent team.
“It looks like a deep division. Anything can happen at the end of the year, in the playoffs, as you’ve seen. Really, the goal is to get in the mix,” said Rogalski.
“And the development piece. You’ve got guys who want to get back to the NHL, guys who want their first NHL game.”
Here’s a breakdown of how the team looks:
FORWARDS
Whitfield is upbeat about what he has.
“I think we’re going to have a ton of speed up front. We’re going to be able to play fast, which I like. We’ve got the potential to score a lot of goals. We’ve got some guys that have scored in this league for a long time,” he said.
Locmelis, whose stock as an excellent NHL prospect continues to rise, is coming off an impressive training camp with Boston. He will get top-line minutes.
Brian Halonen is a proven AHL scorer. He put up seasons of 20, 27 and 20 goals in the last three years with Utica.
Alex Steeves, a second-team AHL All-Star after a 36-goal season with Toronto in 2024-25, is expected to be highly motivated to work his way back to the NHL after spending 2025-26 in Boston.
Lukas Reichel has speed to burn and is a proven point-producer in the AHL.
Brendan Gaunce, in his second stint in Providence, is a veteran leader who contributes at both ends of the ice.
The Bruins signed Attilio Biasca out of the Swiss league over the summer. It’s hard to predict how he’ll adjust to the AHL, but it appears he’ll have an opportunity to start the season in the top six.
Rounding out the forward group are Joey Abate, Jake Schmaltz, Riley Duran, Cross Hanas, Ivan Ivan, Navrin Mutter and Wyatt Bongiovanni. They are all solid AHL players.
DEFENSE
The D corps looks to be deep and well-rounded with Jordan Harris, Henri Jokiharju, Billy Sweezey, Tobie Paquette Bisson, Max Guenette, Max Wanner, Loke Johansson, Ty Gallagher, Chris Ortiz and Dylan MacKinnon.
“We’ve got some mobility on the back end, some size and some jam back there,” said Whitfield.
It remains to be seen how long Jokiharju remains in Providence. As an established NHL player, he could draw trade interest from a team that finds itself short on D.
GOALIE
Asking any of Providence’s goalies to live up to what DiPietro did last season would be unfair.
But the team should be in good hands with newcomer Jiri Patera and returnees Simon Zajicek and Luke Cavallin.
Patera is a 27-year-old veteran who has put up strong numbers in the AHL.
PREDICTION
As Whitfield put it, “From the goaltender on out, we’re in a good spot.”
Look for the P-Bruins to be a hard-working, entertaining team that finishes in the top half of the Atlantic Division.
