The Providence College Friars had an impressive, yet also unremarkable season in 2022-23. “This is contradictory,” you say. Well, that’s because it is. The Friars had a +16 goal differential, putting them among the top teams in the Hockey East in terms of their overall performance, yet posted a 16-14-7 record. The classic marker of a team who won big often and lost close just as often. It was the story of their season all the way up to their Hockey East tournament defeat against Boston University, a 2-1 loss in overtime. Nathan Leaman is heading into his 13th season at the helm in Providence after posting 11 winning seasons in 12 years and a National Championship in 2015. This year’s group doesn’t have any of its biggest stars returning from last season but should look to compete again.

Heading into the 2023-24 campaign, Providence has four noteworthy incoming Freshmen: Hudson Malinoski, Graham Gamache, Tanner Adams, and Marcus Brannman. Malinoski is an exceptional playmaking forward with great hands and passing ability. Last season, Malinoski posted 69 pts in 44gp for the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL, which was flashy enough for the Toronto Maple Leafs to select him in the 5th round of this year’s draft. Gamache will be a great value addition, as he posted 55 pts in 61gp last season for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm, but beyond his offense he is also a very disciplined player having only taken four minor penalties all last season. Adams is a great two-way pick-up, as he was a reliable offensive contributor for the Tri-City Storm last year posting 33 pts in 49gp, but his biggest strength is in creating turnovers in transition. Brannman was the starting goalie for the Dubuque Fighting Saints last year where he posted a 2.97 GAA against a 0.903 SV in 42 starts. Brannman should be a reliable backup option behind the incumbent starter in Philip Svedeback. 

As previously mentioned, the returning core for the Friars is not as star-studded as some of their peers in the Hockey East, but there are some reliable guys who can and should make an impact this season. Bennet Schimek is the team’s returning scoring leader, having posted 20 pts in 37gp last year, but luckily for them, he is also a DAWG in both the neutral and defensive zones, and will be relied upon to contribute in all three phases of the game. Nick Poisson returns after a down year that saw him also post 20 pts in 37gp, which was a steep decline from the 35 pts he posted in 2021-22. Poisson finding his scoring touch again will be a critical piece for this Providence team to succeed in 2023-24. Riley Duran, who posted 20 pts in 29gp last year, will need to have a breakout season on offense for the Friars this season if they are going to repeat their success from a year ago. Duran has great offensive upside, enough that the Boston Bruins selected him in the 6th round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but he needs to put it together this year. Taige Harding was the top point-getter from the blue line a year ago, having posted 17 pts in 37gp. Harding is more than just a scorer though, towering at 6’6” and 236lbs, the 2021 3rd round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks is also a tough customer in his own zone. Finally, goalie Philip Svedeback, also a Boston Bruins draft pick, will need to be as good as, if not better than he was a year ago. Svedeback posted a 2.18 GAA against a 0.909 SV in 2022-23, and if his offense can’t recreate their productivity from a year ago, he may need to be better than those numbers.

Overall, the Providence Friars are a good team that will likely regress from where they were a season ago. Leaman has his work cut out for him as this group does have a high ceiling both in their scoring and defensive abilities despite the reservations I have about their current state. If Providence College is going to compete with the top end talent of the Hockey East this season, Poisson and Duran are going to need connect the dots because I’m not confident that Svedeback could go on a Devon Levi-esque run with this group.