The Future is Bright

With the Providence Bruins games beginning Friday, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the talented prospects in the Bruins system. Old talent as well as new talent will be joining the Providence Bruins this season. Three goalies will be fighting to maintain the starting position, which once belonged to newly appointed Bruins backup goalie Anton Khudobin. The B’s organization has a lot of talent to be thrilled about for the future.

Forwards

Left-winger, Craig Cunningham, who has been flying under the radar by many, will be entering this upcoming season with much to prove. In the 2011-2012 season, Cunningham ranked in a team high of 20 goals. Hopefully, the 22 year old will be able to come into this new season with the same scoring consistency as the previous year.

Carter Camper also shined for Providence last season. The right-winger led the team in overall points, scoring 18 goals, and dishing out 30 assists. Once again, consistency will be Carter’s challenge coming into this season. The Bruins called up Camper last season and scored one goal in the three games he played.

The Bruins acquired left-winger Chris Bourque last season for Zach Hamill. Bourque previously played with the Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals’ AHL team. With the Bears he compiled 27 goals and 66 assists, with a league high 93 points. He has had prior NHL experience with the Capitals as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bourque has yet to make his mark in the NHL but if he continues to improve, it is possible Bourque will be called up by the Bruins in the future.

Jared Knight will begin his first season with the Providence Bruins on Friday. Knight previously played for the London Knights, an OHL team. Last season, Knight registered 26 goals and 26 assists. He helped his team make it to the Memorial Cup, where the team eventually fell to the rival. Knight has been a long awaited arrival by many.  

Ryan Spooner will begin his first full season with the Providence Bruins. Much like Knight, Spooner has been a highly anticipated player by many. Spooner played for three different teams last season, Providence being one. He racked up 30 goals and 40 assists in total. He was invited to Canada’s World Juniors Evaluation Camp, but due to illness he was not able to attend.

Defensemen

Matt Bartkowski will begin his third season with the Providence Bruins. Last season, he was one of Providence’s defensive leaders, racking up 3 goals, 19 assists for a total of 22 points. Bartkowski played three games for the Boston Bruins before being sent back down to Providence.

Boston College alumni, Tommy Cross will be joining the Providence Bruins for his first full season. Cross helped Boston College clinch its 11th Hockey East Title. As a sophomore, Cross was also part of the Eagles national championship. Last season, Cross registered 5 goals and 19 assists. Many are looking for Cross to be exceptional as he continues his development.

Torey Krug has already played two games with the Boston Bruins, where he registered one assist. Krug will begin his first season with the Providence Bruins this year. At Michigan State last season, Krug registered 12 goals and 22 assists. For the short time he was called up for the Bruins, he left a large imprint on many fans.

Last season, David Warsofsky led the team’s defensemen with 29 points. This will be his third season with the Providence Bruins. Warsofsky scored 5 goals and dished out 24 assists the previous season. As his time as a Terrier, Warsofsky won a National Championship, the Hockey East title, and the Beanpot.

Goaltenders

Michael Hutchinson will begin his third season with the Providence Bruins. With Anton Khudobin called up, Hutchinson will be battling for the starting position. Last season, Hutchinson played 29 games total with the Providence Bruins. He recorded 13-14 win-loss record. In total, he had 3 shutouts and a 2.36 GAA.

Adam Morrison will begin his first full season with Providence. Last season, Morrison played 55 games with the Vancouver Giants, where he had 35 wins and 16 losses. He recorded 1 shutout, and allowed an average of 2.75 goals per game.