Providence Bruins General Discussion thread XIV

[Fenway]

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[McGarnagle]

Are there no AHL playoffs this year?

 

[Fenway]

Are there no AHL playoffs this year?

Only in the west

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … American Hockey League President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Howson today announced that due to league COVID-19 protocols, the AHL will not be able to conduct traditional Calder Cup Playoffs in 2021.

Each of the league’s five divisions has been provided the opportunity to independently determine its own postseason format. The members of the Pacific Division will complete the 2020-21 season with a playoff tournament to determine a division champion; members of the other four divisions will not have postseason play.

“While we are disappointed that we will not be able to award the Calder Cup this spring, we are grateful to have been able to provide a safe and competitive environment for more than 1,000 players to play AHL hockey and continue their development,” said Howson. “We’re especially thankful for the work done by our athletic trainers, COVID-19 officers and other front-line workers to ensure the health and safety of all of our players and staff throughout the league.”

In the Pacific Division, a postseason tournament will be held to determine the division championship. The format for the tournament will be announced at a later date. The tournament winner will be awarded the John D. Chick Trophy as champions of the Pacific Division; the Chick Trophy has been presented to an AHL division champion annually since 1961-62.

In the Atlantic Division, the team finishing in first place during the regular season (ranked by points percentage) will be awarded the Emile Francis Trophy as division champions; the Francis Trophy has been presented to an AHL division champion annually since 2001-02.

In the North Division, the team finishing in first place during the regular season (ranked by points percentage) will be awarded the F.G. (Teddy) Oke Trophy as division champions; the Oke Trophy is one of the oldest trophies in North American sports, first presented in 1927 to the London Panthers of the Canadian Professional Hockey League.

In the Canadian Division, the team finishing in first place during the regular season (ranked by points percentage) will be awarded the Frank S. Mathers Trophy as division champions; the Mathers Trophy has been presented to an AHL division or conference champion annually since 1995-96.

In the Central Division, the team finishing in first place during the regular season (ranked by points percentage) will be awarded the Sam Pollock Trophy as division champions; the Pollock Trophy has been presented to an AHL division champion annually since 1995-96.

 

[Saxon Eric]

 

[Saxon Eric]

 

[The National]

Maybe we’ll see C. Hall and T. Hall jerseys next year.

 

[Bruinaura]

Maybe we’ll see C. Hall and T. Hall jerseys next year.

Like Miller a couple years ago. Millsy and Killer

We could have.... Caller and Taller?

 

[Blowfish]

So who are the black aces?

 

[Saxon Eric]

Good, bad and ugly from Providence Bruins week

 

[Fenway]

The AHL Bridgeport team is having fun announcing their new name

Sound Tigers-Error

 

[Fenway]

The AHL Bridgeport team is having fun announcing their new name

Sound Tigers-Error

 

[LouJersey]

Good, bad and ugly from Providence Bruins week

Any of these guys improve/decrease from what you saw last year? Who do you think has a pro future?

 

[Fenway]

 

[Saxon Eric]

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

weareallislanders.com IS the new URL

 

[Saxon Eric]

Any of these guys improve/decrease from what you saw last year? Who do you think has a pro future?

Lauko,Vladar, Studnicka and Senyshyn are future NHL players in some capacity
Steen,I have my doubts
Vaakanainen,doesn't seem to care
Lantosi gets his points but doesn't do enough of the other stuff
Hughes is a AHL legend
The rest are solid to average minor league players until proven otherwise
Guys like Asselin,Tralmarks Brady and Filipe are my bets for improvement next year

 

[LouJersey]

Lauko,Vladar, Studnicka and Senyshyn are future NHL players in some capacity
Steen,I have my doubts
Vaakanainen,doesn't seem to care
Lantosi gets his points but doesn't do enough of the other stuff
Hughes is a AHL legend
The rest are solid to average minor league players until proven otherwise
Guys like Asselin,Tralmarks Brady and Filipe are my bets for improvement next year

Awesome thank you.

I know it's dumb to judge someone off one exhibition game sitting behind the glass watching the defense two periods, but Vaak was the weakest player on the puck that I have ever seen (this was 2019 mind you) and such little compete for loose pucks... Hopefully he turns it around,.

 

[Dr Hook]

Vaakanainen,doesn't seem to care

That is just flat out disappointing. The Bruins have done so well with selecting D men in recent years- I guess one was bound to bust out (not saying we've reached that point with Urho yet but it isn't looking good).

 

[arider1990]

That is just flat out disappointing. The Bruins have done so well with selecting D men in recent years- I guess one was bound to bust out (not saying we've reached that point with Urho yet but it isn't looking good).

Vaak was such a weird player this year. When he gave a damn he looked nearly unstoppable but when he didn't he kind of just floated the whole time. I still think he will be a good third pairing d man though.

 

[Saxon Eric]

Awesome thank you.

I know it's dumb to judge someone off one exhibition game sitting behind the glass watching the defense two periods, but Vaak was the weakest player on the puck that I have ever seen (this was 2019 mind you) and such little compete for loose pucks... Hopefully he turns it around,.

He can turn it around in Phoenix or Edmonton

 

[Saxon Eric]

So who are the black aces?

 

[arider1990]

I'm surprised that Lauko didn't get the nod.

 

[Saxon Eric]

I'm surprised that Lauko didn't get the nod.

Maybe he's up?

 

[Tampbear]

He can turn it around in Phoenix or Edmonton

Or maybe Buffalo...

 

[Saxon Eric]

End of year grades
Goalies A , Didn't matter who was in net they all performed well, sure a soft goal now and again but that doesn't effect their overall grade, they were solid, Boston is in excellent shape at this position
Andrew Peski C+ Played 6 games and was a +2, didn't stand out in any particular area but also wasn't a determent, contract is up and might be worth keeping him around for depth
Curtis Hall C+ All things considered (long layoff, injury, full class load at Yale)wasn't that bad, struggled to find a role till the last few games, big boy with soft hands, decent vision, skating needs work as does fitness and engagement but I think there's a lot there and we have to be patient
Nick Wolff B- I think we can all agree we over rated him a bit coming into the season, for positives he's huge and as the season wore on he was more comfortable throwing his weight around, an excellent PKer and showed surprising offensive instincts for such a big dude, for negatives he's still very stiff and decision making is a bit slow, would obviously like more sandpaper, contract is up ,I'd like to see him in a full year and go from there
Joel Messner C He's been in/out of the organization for years now, he's a strong ECHL player and a mediocre AHL one, he's been good in a pinch but you can't count on him long term, I wish him good fortune in the wars to come
Urho Vaakanainen D waste of talent, bad attitude, bad pick, time to move on
Ian McKinnon B+ favorite of the Neanderthal wing of our fan base ,the kid can actually play a bit of hockey though, would love to see him rewarded with a contract extension, very entertaining player, he has an interesting hockey resume
Pavel Shen C- there didn't seem to be much development in his game, still takes bad penalties and doesn't chip in nearly enough to stay in the lineup, occasionally he teases you but it never last, 1 more year left to make an impression
Eduards Tralmaks B lots to like, big and feisty, skates well, drives to the net, responsible, looks like you can use him anywhere, they did well getting him
Matt Filipe B hard worker who grew into his role, started slow, became more aggressive showed above average pace and decent skill, suffered an undisclosed injury and missed last few games, keep an eye on him in the future
Joona Koppanen C- he fell off the map, started well then ?.... I assume we've seen the last of him
Jack Studnicka C 11 games 7 assist no goals -4 not very Captain Jack like, I didn't like his pouty body language and it wasn't till last few games he played to standards, while I'm concerned with the Providence player, Boston Coaching staff disconnect Jack has to do a better job pushing through it
Cooper Zech B would have been a B+ if his play didn't fall off after missing a few games to injury, development wise he's been hitting his marks and meeting expectations, able to play both sides of D and is a PP weapon when given the room to operate, his 5v5 play has improved and he's been able to gain a bit of muscle, points wise a little disappointing but he's also rounded out his overall game, contract is up and would love to see him back
Alex Olivier Voyer B+ I'll admit, I was skeptical but he's won me over, plays every shift hard, chips in offensively protects his teammates, seems like a coach's dream, if he can clean up his skating we might have something, happy he volunteered to continue playing in Jacksonville, good on Sweeney bringing in him, Tralmaks and Filipe, big dudes that are hard to play against
Jack Ahcan A- legit talent that in a normal year probably isn't rushed to the NHL like he was this season, runs the PP like a Boss, so competitive, yes seize is an issue, a big issue.. the kid's a winner though, lets see how this plays out
Oskar Steen B- Will the real Oskar Steen stand up? There are times when he should be in our top 10 prospect discussions and then there are times you forget he's on the ice, NHL release, plus skater, combative at times, need more consistency! hoping for a big season next year, we'll see
Zach Senyshyn B+ dude was a machine down here but his call ups were a bit disappointing, at this point I think you have to let him go, a very likeable kid who just didn't get there in time, I don't know what else to say
Paul Carey B- The Captain has been a warrior and has a lot of hard miles on him but it's obvious to me he's in decline, would like to wish him the best where ever he ends up
Brady Lyle A outstanding free agent signing that now has an NHL contract, nice combination of seize, skill, grit, cannon of a shot, went from a curiosity to a mainstay in rather quick time, he's going to need more seasoning so keep expectations within reason, skating isn't poor but it isn't great either, interested to see if he dropes off playing 70+ games next year, be happy though, so far so good
Robert Lantosi B in a way he disappointed me but I clearly over rated him, started slow but picked up his offensive play to where he was last year, I didn't see growth in the other parts of his game though, rumored to be heading to the KHL and wasn't a Black Ace so writing is on the wall, I'd like to give him a lower grade but he did deliver some timely goals , was worth the experiment and I bet he finds success elsewhere
Samuel Asselin A- just a solid hockey player, started on the 4th line ended up on the 1st, can play PP and PK ,hard to play against, really good player, improved at every level he's played at, should be resigned and will drive the vets crazy at training camp, energizer bunny, fun player to watch
Jakub Lauko A- only question I had for him was did he have the hands to play top 6 in the NHL and I'm happy to say he does, another player that's relentless and brings it every shift, loved watching him blossom offensively ,fearless that oozes machismo on the ice, needs to stay healthy though, he's very close to NHL ready, strange he didn't play Monday
Cam Hughes A+ Saved the best for last, does everything for the team, should be offered a one way deal and should be the next Captain, hopefully he sticks around another few years

Finally thanks to Providence for pulling this off, wasn't always pretty but they got 25 games in plus tons of practice time in
October 15 is right around the corner!