Baby B’s ready to help big club
With AHL season canceled, prospects eye NHL return
The Providence Bruins’ season was canceled, yet things might not be over for the Black Aces.
When Providence coach Jay Leach conducted exit interviews before the team disbanded, he instructed the players to maintain their conditioning in the event they are needed for a playoff run in Boston.
“We’ve done exit interviews and we’ve stayed in contact with guys throughout and it’s tough because we don’t really have anything to say in regards to planning,” said Leach on Monday during a Zoom press briefing.
“I told them but they know they have a responsibility to hone their craft and make sure they are ready when that time is called. It’s going to be called and it’s just a matter of when and they are very aware of that.”
The Boston Bruins were on course to secure the Presidents Cup for the most points in the regular season and home ice throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Bruins were 44-14-12 with a league-best 100 points and 12 games remaining when the NHL closed shop on March 12. The NHL has several scenarios in place to resume play that includes three weeks of training camp.
The Bruins annually recall members of the Black Aces from Providence in April to fill out their postseason roster. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said in an earlier Zoom interview he would need the Black Aces to prepare the club in the event play resumes.
Some of the players likely to get the call are centers Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic, right wing Zach Senshyn and defenseman Jakub Zboril.
Studnicka and Frederic are the Bruins’ top prospects. Studnicka is a twoway centerman in the manner of Patrice Bergeron, a four-time winner of the NHL’s Selke Trophy.
Frederic provides a physical presence in front of the net and the ability to police the ice, something the Bruins lacked in last season’s
Stanley Cup final against the St. Louis Blues.
“It all depends on what the limit is, what they’ll need. I can tell you that there are plenty of candidates,” said Leach. “I think these guys have shown that and there are certainly a lot of guys that we can pick from.
“It depends on what the limit is and what they are going to need. I don’t think anybody can forecast that because of the unknown.”
The Baby B’s were in first place in the Atlantic Division with a league leading 38-18-3 record (82 points) when the AHL Board of Governors voted to cancel the remainder of the season on March 11.
Providence had just set a club record with 12 straight victories and were positioned to make a strong run for the Calder Cup when the campaign went kaput. The old record of 11 was set in the 1998-99 season when Providence went on to win the Calder Cup.
“With regards to our season, it was definitely disappointing and we were just clicking right at the right time and we had won 12 in a row,” said Leach.
“More importantly our younger guys were coming along and just hitting their strides and certainly we had two goalies that were at the top of the league which is what we all know is your most important key down the stretch.
“We were getting scoring from all four lines and our defense was shored up. We were certainly a team that looked like it could make a run. Unfortunately, this happened and it is what it is and we’ll salvage something out of it.”
While conceding that the players were disappointed their potential title run was cut short, Leach insisted that they understood the bigger picture for why the league pulled the plug.
“It was tough and again I would like to start and say I fully recognize the situation we are in with this country and in the world,” said Leach.
“I’m not saying us making a run to the Calder Cup is more important than these front-line workers and I want to make sure I make that clear.”