By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter / X @BlackAndGold277
The American Hockey League begins its 90th season tonight with eight games on the schedule, including the Providence Bruins on the road against the Bridgeport Islanders. Puck drop from the Total Mortgage Arena in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, at 7 pm. This year is the 33rd AHL season for the Providence organization, and in that timeframe, they’ve been the top minor-pro affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins.
Last season, the Providence team finished third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-23-5-3 record good enough for 90 regular-season points. Providence made the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs for the 11th straight season this past spring. After beating the Springfield Thunderbirds in a best-of-three first-round series 2-1, the B’s put up a decent fight in the second round against Charlotte, but the Checkers would go on to beat Providence in a best-of-five series 3-2.
Head Coach Ryan Mougenel is entering his fifth season as the bench boss of the Providence team. In a recent Boston Globe article written by Jim McBride, he shared his thoughts on his tenure in the league and on developing young hockey players. “I’ve been in the American League a long time now, and I love the level,” said Mougenel. “It’s probably not for everybody, but I never played in the NHL, and I have a selfish part of me that likes to see kids get there. It’s a little bit self-rewarding to see guys go to the NHL. And yeah, [coaching] is what I do. It’s not who I am. I try to be who I am every day. I enjoy it. I think the guys know that.”
This season, Mougenel has a new member of his coaching staff in Ryan Bourque, who last season was the Head Coach of Cushing Academy and the United States National Development program before the Massachusetts prep school ranks. Other additions to the Providence staff that were hired over the summer offseason were Video Coordinator Cam Wolbach and Performance Coach Wyatt Lawrence.
Yesterday, AHL Bruins General Manager Evan Gold announced the 2025-26 opening day roster on the team’s official website. Players added to this list were forwards (14) Joey Abate, Dalton Bancroft, Matej Blumel, Patrick Brown, Riley Duran, John Farinacci, Brett Harrison, Dans Locmelis, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Matthew Poitras, Jake Schmaltz, Alex Steeves, and Riley Tufte. The defenseman who were added to the roster’s backend were Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Jackson Edward, Colin Felix, Ty Gallagher, Loke Johansson, Victor Soderstrom, Billy Sweezey, and Max Wanner. Goaltenders Michael DiPietro and Simon Zajicek were both added to be the tandem in the crease and expected to split the regular-season games closely.
Looking at the 2025-26 regular season schedule, the Providence Bruins will play 72 games this season, facing off against the Bridgeport Islanders (6 Home / 6 Away), Springfield Thunderbirds (6 Home / 6 Away, Hartford Wolf Pack (5 Home / 5 Away), Utica Comets (3 Home / 3 Away), Charlotte Checkers (2 Home / 2 Away), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2 Home / 2 Away), Hershey Bears (2 Home / 2 Away), Lehigh Valley Phantoms (2 Home / 2 Away), Cleveland Monsters (2 Home / 2 Away), Belleville Senators (2 Home / 2 Away), Toronto Marlies (1 Home / 1 Away), Laval Rocket (1 Home / 1 Away), Rochester Americans (1 Home / 1 Away), and the Syracuse Crunch (1 Home / 1 Away).
Last season, the Providence team played the Bridgeport Islanders 12 times, coming away with an 11-1 record as the Isles were the worst team in the AHL. In the last five years, the AHL Bruins have a 32-14-2 record against the NHL’s New York Islanders, top minor-pro affiliate. This year, under the guidance of new NHL Isles General Manager Mathieu Darche, the Bridgeport club will not be a pushover as they were last year, losing a league record 50 games while only earning 37 points.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Providence Bruins return home to the Ocean State to face the visiting Charlotte Checkers at the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the 2025-26 regular season home opener. Puck drop for tomorrow afternoon’s game is set for 3 pm. If you’d like to attend and see the impressive AHL Bruins lineup in action for tomorrow’s home opener or any other regular season games at the Amica or on the road, please consider purchasing tickets via our StubHub-affiliated partner by clicking HERE and typing “Providence Bruins” in the search bar. Thanks in advance!
Also, if you happen to be in the Bridgeport, Connecticut area for an Islanders game or traveling to see your beloved Providence Bruins play on the road, I highly recommend getting a pregame meal and drinks at Joseph’s Steakhouse. The restaurant has been serving USDA prime dry aged beef with a smile since the year 2000 and is located at 360 Fairfield Avenue. Please check out their website HERE for menu and more information.
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