( Photo Credit: Providence Bruins / Flickr )

By: Mark Allred | Follow Me On Twitter @BlackAndGold277

The American Hockey League Providence Bruins were in action this afternoon at the New England Sports Center as they hosted division rival Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The top minor-pro affiliate of the National Hockey Leagues, Boston Bruins came out with a 2-1 victory and increased their commanding Atlantic Division lead to 14 points over second-place Hartford Wolf Pack and a 20 point lead over third-place Sound Tigers. With this win today, the Providence club is currently on a two-game winning streak and 8-1-1-0 in their last ten games, giving them a 2021 regular-season record of 13-3-1-0 with 27 points completing 17 of this year’s 26-game schedule.

Boston Bruins prospect goaltender Kyle Keyser got the start to earn his second win of the season and is currently on a career-high two-game winning streak at the AHL level. Kyle’s first victory of the year came on March 20th, 2021, when Providence was on the road in Hartford, Connecticut, when he stopped 27 of 28 Wolf Pack shots in a 6-1 win. Rookie Providence defenseman Brady Lyle scored his fifth of the season on the power play and continues to look like a sneakingly good find from the NHL Bruins scouting staff out of the Ontario Hockey League with the Owen Sound Attack.

The AHL Bruins are 51-21-4-3 in their last 79 regular-season games dating back to last season, where they finished abruptly due to the Covid-19 pandemic having a 38-18-3-3 record and were sure to go deep in the Calder Cup Playoffs if the AHL didn’t shut down. This season under different circumstances and different roster, the Providence club really didn’t look like they lost a step when they entered the 2021 regular season that started in early February of this year. Providence Head Coach Jay Leach and staff have certainly developed well and done the right things when it comes to preparing players for the higher level but also how they got to this team with a majority of these athletes not playing since last March.

Eduards Tralmaks

In today’s 2-1 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers former University of Maine forward and Latvian native Eduards Tralmaks made his professional hockey debut after leaving the NCAA Black Bears where he spent the last four seasons appearing in 199 games and contributing 39-43-82 numbers. Fitting that Eduard’s debuts in the AHL he gets his first goal scoring the game’s first tally at the 6:55 mark of the second period assisted by rookie defensemen Nick Wolff, and veteran blueliner Tommy Cross.

The 6′-4″ 209-pound versatile forward isn’t exactly a stranger to New England as he spent four seasons playing with the Boston Junior Bandits after leaving Latvia as a 16-year-old. Before entering his first season of NCAA hockey as a freshman with Maine, Tralmaks spent a season in the United States Hockey League playing Tier-1 Junior hockey with the powerful Chicago Steel posting 11-16-27 numbers but was instrumental in the Clark Cup Playoffs helping the team win a league championship in 2017 where he contributed 10-2-12 numbers in 14 postseason contests. Tralmaks was the 2017 Clark Cup Most Valuable Player for his Chicago Steel club.

The former Hobey Baker Award nominee, Tralmaks, signed an AHL-only contract with Providence on March 28th, 2021, which is a good depth signing for the Bruins at a low-risk, high reward scenario. In an article from the goblackbears.com website, Eduard’s former NCAA Head Coach Red Gendron has these positive things to say about the big rangy forward as he moves onto a hopeful long professional hockey career.

“We are extremely proud and happy that Eddie has earned this opportunity. He has been a hard-working competitor and effective power forward throughout his career,” head coach Red Gendron said. “His love of the game and his daily exuberance will fuel his success as a pro as it has during his time at Maine.”

Providence Bruins Head Coach Jay Leach says in a press conference below upon his arrival to the top minor-pro affiliate of the NHL B’s. Leach provided a valuable scouting report of things that Eduard needs to work on; this was the first time on the ice in a team environment since leaving the University of Maine after the 2020-21 campaign.

Below is what Providence Head Coach Leach had to say after Tralmaks first AHL game and second star of the game honors after this afternoon’s 2-1 victory. He certainly made an impression on the entire coaching staff and P-Bruins management team with his efforts today.

Tralmaks is also good friends with Boston Bruins goaltending prospect Jeremy Swayman who could, in fact, make his NHL debut tomorrow night in Philadelphia against the host Flyers. Both came onto the Black Bear team as freshmen during the 2017-18 NCAA year and became instant friends while playing the next three years together. Swayman left after his Junior season with Maine to sign an entry-level deal with Boston in March 2020, while Eduard continued to finish his senior year before turning pro as an undrafted free agent. Below you can see how much of a solid friendship these two aspiring professionals have as they worked together several times on the Behind The Cage with Pat Shea and Ed Tralmaks show on YouTube.

All stats shared courtesy of EliteProspects.com