Providence Bruins 2019-20 Media Notes
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PROVIDENCE BRUINS 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES PRONUNCIATION GUIDE: Peter Cehlarik - SEH-lahr-ihk Jakub Zboril - YA-kuhb zuh-BAW-rihl Cooper Zech - ZECK Jakub Lauko - YAH-kuhb LOWW-koh Josiah Didier - Joh-SYE-yuh Dih-dee-ay Jeremy Lauzon - LOH-zahn Joona Koppanen YOH-nuh KOH-pah-nehen Max Lagace - Leh-guh-SAY Alex Petrovic - PET-row-vich Robert Lantosi - Lan-TOE-She Jack Studnicka - Stuhd-NEE-kuh Urho Vaakanainen - UR-ho VAA-kah-nye-nen Dan Vladar - vluh-DARR Trent Frederic - FREHD-rihk 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 2019-20 Providence Bruins Coaches Bios: Jay Leach, Head Coach (3rd Season) Jay Leach was named the 12th head coach of the Providence Bruins on 7/31/17 after serving as an assistant coach under Bruce Cassidy during the 2016-17 season. The former captain of the P-Bruins and Providence College Friars is entering his third season as an AHL head coach and is the third former Providence captain to serve as the team’s head coach (Peter Laviolette and Bill Armstrong). Leach, 40, served as an assistant coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015-16, helping them advance to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs. He was an assistant coach for Adler Mannheim of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany in 2014-15 and helped lead that team to the league title. A native of Syracuse, New York, Leach was originally selected 115th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the fifth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played 11 professional seasons from 2001-13. He appeared in 70 NHL games with New Jersey, San Jose, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Boston, registering a goal and two assists with 60 penalty minutes. The defenseman also compiled 25 goals and 62 assists for 87 points with 608 penalty minutes and a +34 rating at the AHL level with the Albany Devils, Worcester Sharks, Lowell Devils, Portland Pirates, Norfolk Admirals, Providence Bruins, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Springfield Falcons. In addition to captaining Providence from 2005-07, he served as captain of the Worcester Sharks in 2010-11 and the Albany Devils in 2012-13. He finished his P-Bruins career with 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points in 209 games with 324 minutes and a +17 rating. Prior to his professional career, Leach played four seasons at Providence College from 1997-2001. As a senior in 2000-01, he served as team captain and established career highs with four goals and 21 assists for 25 points in 40 games. Overall, he suited up in 142 games for the Friars, totaling six goals and 46 assists for 52 points while compiling 276 penalty minutes. Trent Whitfield, Assistant Coach (4th Season) Trent Whitfield, 42, is in year four as an assistant coach with the P-Bruins. He served as an assistant coach for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2015-16 and he was also an assistant coach of the Portland Pirates of the AHL in 2014-15. Whitfield enjoyed a 15-year playing career in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He skated in 194 NHL games with Boston, St. Louis, Washington and the New York Rangers, compiling 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points with 104 penalty minutes. He also made 18 NHL playoff appearances including four with Boston. He played 812 games at the AHL level with the P-Bruins, Peoria Rivermen and Portland Pirates totaling 247 goals and 349 assists for 596 points with 564 penalty minutes. Whitfield was an alternate captain of HC Bolzano in the Austrian Hockey League in 2013-14 recording 14 goals and 32 points in 54 games. Whitfield served as captain for six teams in his career, including from 2009-13 for the P-Bruins. He also was captain for the Peoria Rivermen in 2008-09 and for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL in 1996-97. The Alameda, Saskatchewan native was originally selected by the Bruins in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES Ryan Mougenel, Assistant Coach (2nd Season) Mougenel, 43, is in his second season as an assistant coach in Providence. Prior to last season, he spent the four previous seasons as an assistant coach with San Jose’s AHL affiliates. He began working under head coach Roy Sommer in 2014 with the Worcester Sharks and kept his role when the franchise relocated to San Jose as the Barracuda. Mougenel’s teams made the playoffs each of those seasons, highlighted by a Pacific Division Championship and run to the Conference Finals in 2017. His first taste of AHL coaching experience came in 2013-14 as an assistant with the Hershey Bears. The native of Scarborough, Ontario got his coaching start in the ECHL with the Fresno Falcons from 2005-09. Working as an assistant coach, his team made the postseason in each of his first three seasons. He then moved on to become the head coach of the ECHL’s Las Vegas Wranglers from 2009-13. The Wranglers qualified for the postseason with Mougenel at the helm in each of his four seasons, highlighted by a run to the Finals in 2011-12. He was a head coach in the 2011 ECHL All-Star Game and was promoted to General Manager of Las Vegas during his final ECHL season. Prior to coaching, Mougenel played parts of six pro seasons between the AHL and ECHL. His lone season of AHL action came with Rochester in 1999-00, suiting up in 20 games for the Amerks and registering one goal. He spent five years in the ECHL from 1997-03 with Atlantic City, Chesapeake, Hampton Roads and Jackson scoring 105 points (46G-59A) and 271 penalty minutes over 180 games. He was part of Atlantic City’s 2003 Kelly Cup Championship team, scoring a goal and eight assists over 17 playoff games. 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 2019-20 P-BRUINS PLAYER BIOS 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 5 URHO VAAKANAINEN ● 6’1 - 185 - Defenseman ● Shoots: Left ● Born: 1/1/99 ● From: Joensuu, FIN ● Drafted: Round 1 Pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft Last Goal: 12/1/19 vs Charlotte Last Assist: 12/15/19 vs Springfield Last Hat Trick: Last Multipoint Game: 11/24/19 vs Hershey ● Drafted 18th overall by Boston in 2017 and signed a three-year entry deal with them June 13, 2018. ● Played final season in Finnish Elite League in 2017-18 with SaiPa, leading his team’s defensemen with a plus-eight rating. He scored 11 points in 43 games and in nine playoff games had an assist. ● Spent 2016-17 with JYP of SM-Liiga playing in 41 games, tallying two goals and four assists along with a rating of plus-five while adding three helpers in 14 playoff games. Played first season in SM-Liiga with the Espoo Blues, scoring a goal and five assists in 25 games. ● Won two medals with Team Finland in the Under-18 World Junior Championship, claiming gold in 2016 while registering three points in seven games and silver in 2017 when he totaled three goals and three assists for six points in five games. ● His father, Harri Vaakanainen, coached Tuukka Rask in Finland. ● Assigned to Providence prior to their 2018 opener and scored his first professional point that night. Made NHL debut October 20, 2018 with Boston but suffered a concussion in his second NHL game ● Assigned to Team Finland for the 2019 World Junior Championship where he was an alternate captain for the gold medal winning squad. In seven games, he posted four assists with a +5 rating. This was the third time he represented Finland at World Juniors. In 2018 he recorded an assist and plus-three rating in five games. In 2017 he played in six contests registering a goal. ● Returned to Providence following the conclusion of the World Junior Championship. --- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ---- Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2015-16 Blues SM-li 25 1 5 6 8 -- -- -- -- -- 2016-17 JyP HT Jyvaskyla SM-li 41 2 4 6 12 14 0 3 3 2 2016-17 JYP-Akatemia Mesti 3 0 1 1 29 -- -- -- -- -- 2017-18 SaiPa Lappeenranta SM-li 43 4 7 11 24 9 0 1 1 0 2018-19 Boston Bruins NHL 2 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- 2018-19 Providence Bruins AHL 30 4 10 14 10 4 0 0 0 2 2019-20 Providence Bruins AHL 29 4 7 11 12 2019-20 Boston Bruins NHL 5 0 0 0 0 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 6 ALEX PETROVIC ● 6’4 - 216 - Defenseman ● Shoots: Right ● Born: 3/3/92 ● From: Edmonton, Albert, CAN ● Drafted: Round 2 Pick 36 in 2010 NHL Entry Draft (FLA) Last Goal: 11/9/19 vs Bridgeport Last Assist: 12/18/19 vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Last Hat Trick: Last Multipoint Game: 11/22/19 vs Bridgeport ● Played his junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League (WHL) ● Finished his junior career with Red Deer playing in 270 games totaling 146 points. ● Invited to Providence Bruins training camp before the 2019-20 season. ● Played nine games in the NHL last season for the Edmonton Oilers --- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ---- Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2007-08 Red Deer Rebels WHL 10 1 0 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- 2008-09 Red Deer Rebels WHL 66 1 12 13 70 -- -- -- -- -- 2009-10 Red Deer Rebels WHL 57 8 19 27 87 4 0 0 0 4 2010-11 Red Deer Rebels WHL 69 7 50 57 140 9 0 6 6 23 2011-12 Red Deer Rebels WHL 68 12 36 48 141 -- -- -- -- -- 2011-12 San Antonio Rampage AHL 5 0 0 0 0 9 2 4 6 14 2012-13 San Antonio Rampage AHL 55 4 13 17 102 -- -- -- -- -- 2012-13 Florida Panthers NHL 6 0 0 0 25 -- -- -- -- -- 2013-14 Florida Panthers NHL 7 0 1 1 8 -- -- -- -- -- 2013-14 San Antonio Rampage AHL 43 2 11 13 79 -- -- -- -- -- 2014-15 San Antonio Rampage AHL 41 3 17 20 59 3 0 1 1 0 2014-15 Florida Panthers NHL 33 0 3 3 34 -- -- -- -- -- 2015-16 Florida Panthers NHL 66 2 15 17 90 6 1 3 4 4 2016-17 Florida Panthers NHL 49 1 13 14 79 -- -- -- -- -- 2017-18 Florida Panthers NHL 67 2 11 13 98 -- -- -- -- -- 2018-19 Florida Panthers NHL 26 0 1 1 24 -- -- -- -- -- 2018-19 Edmonton Oilers NHL 9 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- -- -- 2019-20 Providence Bruins AHL 31 2 17 19 9 2019-20 MEDIA NOTES 7 TRENT FREDERIC ● 6’2 - 215 - Forward ● Shoots: Left ● Born: 2/11/98 ● From: St.