Providence Announces Pre-Season Schedule

Bruins Will Have Just Two Games
August 29, 2012


The Providence Bruins, entering their 21st season in the American Hockey League, announced today that they will face the Springfield Falcons in two pre-season games.

The P-Bruins' pre-season schedule begins on Wednesday, October 3 at 7:05 p.m. as Providence serves as the host team to the Falcons at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA. For information or tickets for the game, please contact the Sports Center at (508) 229-2700.

Providence will then travel to the MassMutual Center on Saturday, October 6 where they will wrap up the pre-season in a 7:00 p.m. contest against the Falcons.


*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

 

Great New Mobile App For Hockey Fans

Full Launch of App is Fast Approaching
August 18, 2012
By Thomas Chace Jr.


October is a big month for two Princeton graduates who also play hockey in the AHL.  Dustin Sproat and Kyle Hagel are co-founders and developers of a mobile app that will most certainly appeal to all hockey fans and already has received rave reviews fom players in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.

The app has a "retro" look and it's not by accident.  These two players along with three other members formed a team to really give both the players and the fans an app that provides a lot of info in one location and make it appealing to the eye.  They compare it to the back of a "vintage hockey card."
I would agree, only there is so much more.  I would almost call it an "interactive vintage hockey card".



The app will include career stats, contract status, news articles, Twitter feeds, as well as up to date season stats for each player and links to box scores. They are most excited about the "pound" button that will allow fans to acknowledge the players for playing a good game, making contributions in the community, a cool tweet, or simply a happy birthday. 

The best part is that the app allows the player to  respond back with a "pound" of his own via a push notification, making for a quick and easy personal interaction.  Every true hockey fan already knows that hockey players are the most approachable of all athletes in the world of professional sports. Good job, boys!

The hope is that players will engage even more, with polling questions, customizing their "stall", or even interacting  among themselves via the app. 

The founder and President of the company is Sproat, a 2006 graduate of Princeton who most recently played with the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL and is currently working on his MBA at the University of British Columbia. The company has an office in Vancouver.  No rude remarks please, Bruins fans!

Hagel, has played for the Rockford and Peoria clubs in the AHL the last few years and has been in a consultant role since April of 2011 and is listed as a co-founder of the company.

Two other MBA candidates and a full time programmer round out their team.  The team is preparing for a "soft" launch into the app store next month in September.  The "hard" launch is scheduled for the opening of the NHL season, which is in serious jeopardy of happening. The two sides are far apart on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.  

I'll be "tracking" their progress, of course.  "Tracking" is another feature available on their app.  You can track your favorite players and have their info at your fingertips.  Not while driving, please.


Good luck boys, it sure looks good, and they've certainly done their homework in offering hockey fans and players a great new mobile app.
Keep your eye out for this great new addition to the mobile hockey apps!
I'll keep you informed on the progress and the dates of the launch.

Providence Bruins Schedule Released

Providence Opener on Friday Night October 12
August 17, 2012


The Providence Bruins, entering their 21st season in the American Hockey League, today announced their schedule for the 2012-13 season. The P-Bruins will play a 76 game schedule led by head coach Bruce Cassidy and assistant coach Kevin Dean. The club will open the season on Friday, October 12 at 7:05 p.m., hosting Atlantic Division rival, the Manchester Monarchs at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

The P-Bruins' 38-home game schedule features all weekend dates, including 21 Friday night games and 17 Sunday afternoon contests. All Friday night games will be played at 7:05 p.m., while all Sunday games will begin at 3:05 p.m., with the exception of Sunday, October 21 which will begin at 1:05 p.m. and Sunday, December 9 which will begin at 4:05 p.m.

Providence will compete in the five-team Atlantic Division and will face their Atlantic Division rivals in 38 of the 76 contests on their 2012-13 schedule. The P-Bruins will face-off with the Monarchs and Worcester Sharks 12 times apiece, the Portland Pirates 10 times and the St. John's IceCaps four times.

The Black and Gold will also play each team from the Northeast Conference, which includes the Adirondack Phantoms, Albany Devils, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Connecticut Whale and Springfield Falcons. In the East Division, the P-Bruins will play one home-and-home series with the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as well as four contests versus the Norfolk Admirals.

Providence will see the most ice time in December and March, each with 13 contests scheduled. The club will play a season high seven home games in November and January, while hitting the road a high of seven times in December and March.

The P-Bruins' longest home stand is three games, which occurs twice throughout the season in November and January. The longest road stretch of the year is six games from March 27 to April 7, during which the club faces Portland, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hershey, Albany, Manchester and Connecticut.

Here is the link to the Providence Bruins Schedule.
Suitable for printing!

http://www.providencebruins.com/ftp/pdf/season_schedule.pdf



*Information gathered from www.providencebruins.com

South Carolina New Bruins ECHL Affiliate

Stingrays Are New ECHL Affiliate For the Bruins
July 25, 2012

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today, July 25, that the club has entered into an affiliation relationship with the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). Under the affiliation arrangements, the Bruins will be able to designate players within their development system for assignment to the Stingrays during the 2012-13 season.

Rich Peverley started his pro career with South Carolina

The Stingrays have played in North Charleston, South Carolina since 1993 and are the first professional ice hockey team established in the state of South Carolina. They were most recently the ECHL affiliate for the NHL’s Washington Capitals from 2004 to 2012.

Bruins forward Rich Peverley played his first professional season with South Carolina in 2004-05, registering 30-28=58 totals and 72 penalty minutes in 69 games. For more information on the Stingrays, visit www.stingrayshockey.com.

The Reading Royals previously served as Boston’s ECHL affiliate for three seasons, from 2009-10 through the 2011-12 season.


*Information gathered from http://bruins.nhl.com

Providence to Phase in New Logos This Season

This Season's New Logos
July 25, 2012

The Providence Bruins have announced the introduction of their new primary and secondary logo, to be phased in throughout the 2012-13 regular season.

The re-introduced primary logo is a cleaner, bolder edition of the original spoked “P” logo that has been featured on the P-Bruins’ home jerseys since 1995. The logo itself is derived from the Boston Bruins’ primary logo from the late 1950’s to the mid-1960’s, and represents the relationship between the P-Bruins and their parent club in mimicking that original logos color scheme and simplicity.

This new logo also represents a fundamental shift in focus for the Providence Bruins brand towards a more traditional, “old-time hockey” look and feel. This move coincides with the 2013 Dunkin’ Donuts AHL All-Star Classic, hosted by the Providence Bruins the weekend of January 25-28, which also reflects the new direction of the team’s visual identity.

In addition, the secondary logo is now officially the “bear” logo, which has been featured most recently as a crest on the P-Bruins black alternate home jerseys. This logo also reflects the same ideals that the new primary aims to accomplish.

The Providence Bruins, established in 1992, are the top affiliate of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Celebrating their 20th anniversary season in 2011-12, the Providence Bruins have enjoyed much success over their history. The team won the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup championship in 1999 and boasts 10 former players on the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. In addition to accomplishments on the ice, the Providence Bruins were fourth-best in attendance in the AHL in 2010-11 and are the best-attended minor-league hockey team in New England.


*Information gathered from http://theahl.com/

Bruins Sign Defenseman Aaron Johnson

Defenseman Signs One Year, Two-Way Contract
Wednesday July 18, 2012


Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today, July 18, that the club has signed defenseman Aaron Johnson to a one-year, two-way contract through the 2012-13 season. Johnson’s contract is worth $650,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level.

Johnson

Johnson, a 6’1”, 204-pound defenseman, skated in 56 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2011-12, registering three goals and setting NHL career highs with 13 assists and 16 points, while collecting 16 penalty minutes.

In 2010-11, the 29-year-old played in 72 games with the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals after signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Nashville Predators. He recorded AHL career highs in goals with nine, assists with 26 and points with 35, while recording a plus-10 rating and adding 70 penalty minutes. The 2009-10 season saw Johnson split time between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, where he recorded a combined four goals, six assists and 35 penalty minutes in 41 games.

For his career, Johnson has played in 281 NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders, tallying 17 goals and 45 assists for 62 total points, with 217 penalty minutes.

The Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia native was selected by Columbus in the third round (85th overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. In two separate stints with the Blue Jackets from 2003-07 and 2011-12, he skated in a combined 172 NHL games for Columbus, recording 10 goals and 32 assists for 42 points, along with 119 penalty minutes.

In the AHL, the defenseman has registered 26-83=109 totals and 419 penalty minutes in 251 career games with the Milwaukee Admirals, Rockford IceHogs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Syracuse Crunch.


*Information gathered from www.bruins.nhl.com

Boston Signs Bartkowski to New Deal

Providence Defenseman Back in the Fold
July 12, 2012

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today, July 12, that the club has signed defenseman Matt Bartkowski to a one-year, two-way contract through the 2012-13 season. Bartkowski’s deal is worth $660,000 at the NHL level and $62,500 at the AHL level.

Prospect Report: Matt Bartkowski Bartkowski's First NHL Game vs PIT

Bartkowski began the 2011-12 season in Boston, skating in three NHL games before being assigned to the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins on October 20, 2011. The defenseman then appeared in 50 games for Providence, where he tallied three goals to go along with 19 assists and 38 penalty minutes.

In 2010-11, the 6’1”, 203-pound native of Pittsburgh, PA recorded 5-18=23 totals with 42 penalty minutes in 69 games with Providence. Bartkowski led all club defensemen with 23 points and was also named the Best Defenseman in voting by his teammates at the conclusion of the season.

In addition to his time spent in Providence, Bartkowski appeared in six NHL games with Boston, where he registered four penalty minutes. His first three NHL games, played over three separate recalls from Providence, all came against his hometown Pittsburgh Penguins. For his career, Bartkowski has played in nine NHL games, all with the Bruins, recording four penalty minutes.

Bartkowski was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (190th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. On March 3, 2010, the 24-year-old was traded along with Dennis Seidenberg to Boston in exchange for Byron Bitz, Craig Weller and Tampa Bay’s 2010 second-round draft pick (Alexander Petrovic).

Prior to joining Providence, Bartkowski played collegiate hockey for Ohio State University from 2008-10, where he finished with 11-27=38 totals and 145 penalty minutes in 80 games. In 2008-09, he became the first Buckeyes defenseman in 10 years to be named to the CCHA All-Rookie Team, in addition to earning team Most Valuable Freshman and Best Defensive Player honors.


*Information gathered from www.bruins.nhl.com