By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter @BlackAndGold277
Boston Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly was the second star of the game at the Amica Mutual Pavilion last night when he made his 2022-23 American Hockey League Providence Bruins debut. Last night the AHL B’s, the top team in the league, was at home to face the visiting Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The visiting Phantoms snapped an impressive 7-0-0-1 steak for Providence when they beat the B’s 4-2 in front of 6,826 who were in attendance at the Amica in downtown Providence, Rhode Island.
The 29-year-old Reilly, who Boston waived on November 9th, 2022, went unclaimed during the 24-hour process and later reported to the top minor-pro affiliate of the NHL Bruins. This was a way for Bruins General Manager and Assistant Evan Gould to massage the NHL-mandated salary cap, but it is not the end-all-be-all for the B’s cap troubles moving forward.
Last night the 6′-1″ 198-pound Reilly was by far the better Providence player in front of the home crowd showcasing his skills to fans and other NHL teams looking for defensive help. In the game against the top minor-pro affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, the former University of Minnesota blueliner had a goal and an assist. Mike got on the scoresheet quickly when he feathered a saucy pass from the left boards ahead to a streaking Oskar Steen, who redirected the puck for his fourth of the season. Reilly’s goal came on a five-on-three power play when the blueliner blasted a slapshot between the tops of the circles in the second period from Vinni Lettieri and Jack Ahcan. This was Reilly’s first AHL game dating back to when he played for the Iowa Wild, the top minor-pro affiliate of the Minnesota Wild organization.
New England Hockey Journal and NHL.com writer Mark Divver covered last night’s game at the Amica and mentioned in his tweet HERE that several NHL teams were scouting in the Providence press box. Divver said the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Seattle Kraken, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Colorado Avalanche had representatives in house during Friday night’s AHL contest.
While NHL teams are constantly scouting AHL games and doing their due diligence throughout the year, any intelligent hockey fan can research what teams are looking to make blueline additions. It’s been rumored by many hockey outlets that the Reilly camp may not be thrilled with the AHL demotion and has asked to be traded as they believe he belongs in the NHL. He is, in fact, an NHL player, and the Boston Bruins would be wise to do whatever it takes to facilitate a move elsewhere. Great defensive depth piece, but when salary needs to be moved to be cap compliant, you aggressively work the phones as an NHL general manager.
Providence Bruins Home Game Ticket Information
If you or your family want to attend any 2022-23 Providence Bruins regular season home games at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, tickets are available exclusively by purchasing a 22-23 Providence Bruins Season Membership.
Fans can choose from Black Level (20 games), White Level (10 games), or FlexTix Season Memberships. To become a member and reserve seats, please visit providencebruins.com/memberships or contact CJ Tsoumakas at 401.680.4738 or tsoumakas@pseagency.com.
Single-game tickets can be purchased at the Providence Bruins’ official website at providencebruins.com.
Watch the Providence Bruins Home and Road Games Via Live Stream on AHLTV
Also, if any Boston or Providence Hockey fans want to watch the NHL Bruins’ top minor-pro affiliate in action, please go to theahl.com and get an affordable AHLTV package that suits your viewing needs. You can access every team in the AHL in the regular season and playoffs for $104.99, Full AHL regular season access with no playoffs for $84.99, or you can pay monthly for only $22.99, and there’s single-day access for only $7.99.
AHLTV also offers individual team packages of $64.99 for single-team Home and Away games in the regular season, $44.99 for the single-team away games, and finally, $44.99 to watch your team play at home for the upcoming regular season.
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