Providence Bruins Undeterred by Roster Turnover

PROVIDENCE - Everyone in the American Hockey League knows change is part of the deal. The roster is in a constant state of transformation and alteration.
When the NHL affiliates come calling, they must oblige.
The Providence Bruins know this better than any team in the AHL. Their 2016-17 transactions page is longer than a CVS receipt.
A seemingly endless string of injuries to the big club in Boston has kept Interstate 95 quite busy through the season's first month. The P-Bruins have played just eight games but have already racked up 21 roster transactions.
The lack of lineup stability, however, has not affected the moral of the team, according to P-Bruins head coach Kevin Dean, whose squad has started slowly with a 2-4-2 record.

"I'm very happy with our efforts," said Dean, who is in his first year as the leading man in Providence. "We have been missing some guys maybe we thought were going to be here. That being said, we've replaced them with good, hard-working reliable, responsible players that come ready to play every night.
"Every night's not a disaster to getting guys to buy in. The guys are working hard every game and trying to do what we're telling them."
For much of last week, Providence was without both of their goaltenders, as Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre were recalled to Boston because of injuries to Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin. Daniel Vladar (a third-round pick in 2015) and Matthew Ginn were recalled from the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL.
Austin Czarnik began the year in Boston, before being assigned to Providence and then recalled once again to the big club last weekend. Defenseman Rob O'Gara is with the P-Bruins after starting the year in Boston, as is forward Danton Heinen, who was assigned on Wednesday.
Sean Kuraly, recalled on an emergency basis on Tuesday, remains with Boston and could make his NHL debut Thursday night in Tamp Bay.
"You think juniors has a lot of roster moves, but it's been unbelievable here, guys coming up, coming down," said 2015 first-round pick Jake DeBrusk, who notched his first professional goal last Friday in a win over Utica.
"Even some guys from the ECHL are coming up and down. It's been kind of tough to get into a groove, but everyone's been on the same page and the coaching staff's been awesome with that and making sure everyone knows what's expected.
"It's tough to get attached in some ways, but it's always good to get new guys in the lineup. When guys get called up it's always exciting."
DeBrusk is one of several players in the midst of their first full professional seasons, joining the likes of Matt Grzelcyk (who also registered his first pro goal against Utica), O'Gara, Vladar, and Heinen (he has yet to play a game for Providence this season). Dean has been pleased with what he has seen from the youngsters thus far.

"For first-year kids they've done well," said Dean. "They're not shell-shocked. They're out there competing hard at the puck and that's really what you're looking for at this time of the year."
The youth and inexperience has been balanced out with a number of veterans, some of whom are on Professional Tryout Agreements. Peter Mueller, who was with Boston during training camp, and old friend Matt Bartkowski are among those bringing leadership and dependability to the Providence dressing room.
"Everyone has filled a role," said Dean. "That's the value of those older guys. Yes, they help you win hockey games and they plug holes, but they also set a good example for your young kids.
"All those guys…Mueller, [Chris] Porter, [Jordan] Szwarz, [Wayne] Simpson, they've been terrific in terms of their professionalism. Couldn't ask for anything more."
Providence plays three games this weekend at the Dunkin' Donuts Center:
Friday (7:05 p.m.) against Lehigh Valley
Saturday (7:05 p.m.) against Hartford Wolf Pack
Sunday (3:05 p.m.) against Wilkes-Barre Scranton

DeBrusk Working His Way Up

Jake DeBrusk admits it was not the most pleasant feeling to be sent to Providence towards the end of Boston's training camp. But he was not deterred by the decision.
The 20-year-old knows he has plenty to work on and is determined to get back to Boston in the near future.
"It was a really good exit meeting," said DeBrusk. "I was close, I was really close in camp. It's pretty tough when you get sent down. It's been awesome being here, don't get me wrong, but it's motivation that you want to be back up as soon as possible and do your part down here to impress them up there.
"Just got to focus on my game day to day, get better and become a good pro. That's what this is all about."
DeBrusk was pressing for a large portion of the season's first few weeks, having been held without a goal for the first six games despite a myriad of chances. But he broke through in a 4-2 win over Utica last Friday for his first professional goal.
"It was a sense of relief," said DeBrusk. "I put a lot of shots on that net before it went in. It's tough when you're a goal scorer and you're not scoring goals and getting that many chances. I don't think I've gotten that many chances ever in this amount of time.
"Every game that went on I was getting frustrated, but it came and it was really nice…hopefully it comes in bunches now and we get some wins here."

Vladar Gets the Call

With Subban and McIntyre both up with the big club last week, Vladar was returned from the Atlanta Gladiators. The 19-year-old Czech Republic native played in two games, going 1-0-1 with a 2.97 goals against average and .917 save percentage.
"I'm still young, but I'm so thankful for the opportunity the coaches gave me. It's a huge experience for me. I can learn so much from these guys," said Vladar.

Cehlarik Leading the Way

Forward Peter Cehlarik, who had a strong performance at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo back in September, is off to a good start in Providence. He has two goals and two assists in five games to pace the P-Bruins in scoring. Bartkowski also has four points (one goals, three assists).
Mueller, Anton Blidh, Czarnik, Alex Grant, Grzelcyk, and Simpson all have three points apiece.