Graham Mink is no longer on a PTO. Providence signed him to an AHL contract on Monday. (Photo Credit: Steph Vail/Flickr)
The AHL All-Star break comes to an end tomorrow and the Providence Bruins will get back to work with only a few slight roster tweaks.
Prior to the All-Star break that began Sunday, Providence played on Friday, January 25th and Saturday, January 26th. On Friday, Providence beat the Portland Pirates 6-1. Defenseman Torey Krug had 2 goals. Kyle MacKinnon, Jamie Tardif, Max Sauve, and Carter Camper also scored for the P-Bruins. Niklas Svedberg made 28 saves between the pipes for the win.
On Saturday, Providence got another important divisional win when they beat the Worcester Sharks 4-3 in a shootout. Craig Cunningham, Tardif, and Justin Florek scored in regulation and Cunningham had the deciding goal in the shootout in the 7th round. Svedberg played for the 2nd night in a row and got his 2nd win in a row before appearing in his 1st All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday and All-Star Game on Monday.
Tardif, who joined Svedberg and Captain Trent Whitfield at the All-Star Classic in Providence, scored his 20th goal of the season on Saturday night. He leads the team in goals and points with 29. Carter Camper leads the team in assists with 19, overtaking Ryan Spooner this weekend, who has 18 assists on the season.
Jordan Caron joined the Providence Bruins line-up on Saturday for the 1st time since January 4th, when he suffered an upper body injury. He recorded 2 shots on net and was a -1.
On Monday, the Providence Bruins officially signed Graham Mink, who was on a Professional Tryout contract, to an AHL contract. Today, the P-Bruins also announced that they have sent forward Alden Hirschfeld back down to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He spent 18 games with the P-Bruins this season thus far and recorded 5 points.
Another bit of positive news is that injured defenseman Zach Trotman, who has been out with a concussion for a few weeks, skated informally this morning. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that although Trotman is not yet cleared to play, he is likely to return next week. Before his injury, he was having a better-than-expected season for Providence, recording 2 goals, 10 assists, and a +5 rating.
Providence returns to action tomorrow night, Thursday, January 31st, at Bridgeport against the Sound Tigers. Providence currently sits 2nd in the Atlantic division with a 22-16-0-3 record (47 points).
Also: Happy 23rd Birthday to Max Sauve and Happy 21st Birthday to Ryan Spooner!
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