2023–24 Providence Friars men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 Providence Friars Men's ice hockey season was the 73rd season of play for the program and 40th in Hockey East. The Friars represented Providence College in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Schneider Arena and were coached by Nate Leaman in his 13th season.

2023–24 Providence Friars
men's ice hockey season
Conference4th Hockey East
Home iceSchneider Arena
Rankings
USCHO#16
USA Hockey#16
Record
Overall18–13–4
Conference11–9–4
Home9–6–3
Road9–7–1
Coaches and captains
Head coachNate Leaman
Assistant coachesRon Rolston
Joel Beal
Joe Palmer
Captain(s)Cam McDonald
Chase Yoder
Alternate captain(s)Craig Needham
Nick Poisson
Providence Friars men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »
Friars pose with the Mayor's Cup after defeating the Brown Bears 3-0.

Season

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Providence began the year with a bit uncertainty as it had lost the top three scorers from the previous season. For a team that was already offensively challenged, that could have been more than they could afford, but the Friars were bent on exceeding their expectations. New starter Philip Svedebäck took to the college game immediately and posted one of the best starts to a career by going 8–1–2 in his first eleven games. In that stretch, the young goaltender allowed just 20 goals and was ranked among the best goaltenders in the nation in just about every category. He was aided, in no small part, by the defense who was the second-most effective in the nation; only Cornell allowed fewer shots against per game and the success of the early season lifted Providence up into the top-5 in the polls. The offense, too, was playing well in the first month and a half; new addition Tanner Adams fit in well with a diverse group that scored by committee rather than concentrate all of its firepower on one line.

However, just before Thanksgiving, The Friars went through their first rough patch of the season. Going through a stretch of five games against ranked opponents, Providence lost four of those matches, however, due to the strength of their opposition, Providence only slipped a few places in the rankings and they were still a top-10 team by the winter break.

In the five weeks after returning from their vacation, Providence posted a solid record and largely held their position. However, cracks were beginning to form in the team. Svedebäck had started showing some inconsistence in his game; he posted three shutouts in that stretch but also had a couple of bad games as well. The offense was mostly effective but began to falter in February. The scoring never went away but it definitely ebbed as the season progressed towards the playoffs. The Friars lack of offense began to cost the team and they were losing games even when Svedebäck was playing well. However, at the beginning of March, the team was still in the top 10 in the PairWise and all they had to do was win a game or two to guarantee themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament. Losses to Merrimack and Boston University were not offset by a tie with Northeastern and on the final week of the regular season, the Friars dropped from 10th to 14th.

Now on the very edge of the playoff picture (14 was the bare minimum for any chance at an at-large bid), Providence would have to face Massachusetts in the quarterfinals with both teams fighting for their lives. The Friars and Minutemen were bunched up in the mid-teens and, because several teams from other conference were also rated about the same, the loser of the game would knocked out of postseason contention. Providence didn't get off to a good start in the game and in less than 5 minutes the Friars were already down by 2 goals. The team desperately tried to climb back into the match but offense was not their strong suit and time ticked away on their season. In the later stages of the third period, UMass got a third goal but then took a penalty immediately afterwards. Svedebäck was pulled to make the power play a 6-on-4 and the extra skater allowed the Friars to score in just 4 seconds. With the faintest of hopes, Providence began to ratchet up their attack on the Massachusetts cage but their comeback was stopped almost as soon as it started. Guillaume Richard took a tripping penalty and forced the team to play defense for 2 critical minutes. Though they managed to kill off the infraction, the momentum had vanished and Providence was unable to conjure up another goal. The 1–3 loss brought the once-promising campaign to a close.[1]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Brett BerardForward United StatesSigned professional contract (New York Rangers)
Michael CitaraForward United StatesTransferred to Merrimack
Max CrozierDefenseman CanadaGraduation (signed with Tampa Bay Lightning)
Chase DafoeForward United StatesTransferred to Alaska
Parker FordForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Winnipeg Jets)
Luke JohnsonDefenseman United StatesGraduate transfer to Robert Morris
Cody MondsForward CanadaTransferred to Clarkson
Patrick MoynihanForward United StatesGraduate transfer to Notre Dame
Grant PorterForward United StatesTransferred to Canisius
Austin RodenGoaltender CanadaGraduate transfer to Clarkson
Uula RuikkaDefenseman FinlandTransferred to Augustana
Garrett SundquistDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Sacred Heart

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Tanner AdamsForward United States18Northport, NY
Marcus BrännmanGoaltender Sweden20Bromma, SWE
Andrew CentrellaDefenseman United States19Philadelphia, PA
Graham GamacheForward Canada21Edmonton, AB
Matt HubbardeForward Canada23Pickering, ON; transfer from Dartmouth
Cal KiefiukForward United States23Macomb, MI; graduate transfer from Massachusetts
Luke KrysDefenseman United States23Weston, MA; graduate transfer from Brown
Clint LevensForward United States20Windermere, FL
Hudson MalinoskiForward Canada19Saskatoon, SK; selected 153rd overall in 2023
Austen MayDefenseman United States20Woodhaven, MI
Samo MeritähtiForward Finland21Seinäjoki, FIN; joined-midseason while recovering from season-ending injury

Roster

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As of September 26, 2023.[2]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States John Driscoll Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-04-09 Milton, Massachusetts Northeast Generals (NA3HL)
2 United States Luke Krys Graduate D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-09-27 Ridgefield, Connecticut Brown (ECAC)
4 Canada Guillaume Richard Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2003-02-10 Cap-Santé, Quebec Tri-City Storm (USHL) CBJ, 101st overall 2021
6 United States Cam McDonald (C) Graduate D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-02-03 Eagle River, Alaska Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
8 United States Riley Duran Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-01-25 Woburn, Massachusetts Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) BOS, 182nd overall 2020
9 Canada Hudson Malinoski Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2004-05-19 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Brooks Bandits (AJHL) TOR, 153rd overall 2023
10 United States Brady Berard Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2004-02-26 East Greenwich, Rhode Island USNTDP (USHL)
11 Canada Graham Gamache Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 2002-06-11 Edmonton, Alberta Tri-City Storm (USHL)
12 Canada Nick Poisson (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-08-15 Vancouver, British Columbia Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)
13 United States Craig Needham (A) Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-03-31 Medford, Massachusetts Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
14 United States Cal Kiefiuk Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-28 Macomb, Michigan Massachusetts (HEA)
15 Sweden Liam Valente Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2003-05-23 Märsta, Sweden Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell)
17 United States Chase Yoder (C) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-05-28 Fairview, Texas USNTDP (USHL) PIT, 170th overall 2020
18 Canada Jamie Engelbert Graduate F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-06-21 Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg Cougars (OJHL)
19 United States Tanner Adams Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2005-09-02 Northport, New York Tri-City Storm (USHL)
20 United States Andrew Centrella Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 2004-01-29 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
21 Canada Matt Hubbarde Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-15 Pickering, Ontario Dartmouth (ECAC)
22 United States Clint Levens Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 2003-06-19 Windermere, Florida Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
23 United States Bennett Schimek Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2003-04-15 Mendota Heights, Minnesota Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
24 United States Austen May Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2003-05-19 Woodhaven, Michigan Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
25 United States Connor Kelley Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-01-30 Maple Grove, Minnesota Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) CHI, 204th overall 2021
27 Canada Taige Harding Junior D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2002-01-03 St. Albert, Alberta Fort McMurray Oil Barons (AJHL) CHI, 91st overall 2021
28 Czech Republic Jaroslav Chmelař Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 216 lb (98 kg) 2003-07-20 Nové Město nad Metují, Czech Republic Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja) NYR, 144th overall 2021
29 United States Will Schimek Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-05-22 Mendota Heights, Minnesota Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
33 Sweden Marcus Brännman Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 166 lb (75 kg) 2003-04-06 Bromma, Sweden Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
35 Sweden Philip Svedebäck Freshman G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2002-05-28 Växjö, Sweden Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) BOS, 117th overall 2021

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Boston College †*242031101611055641346118389
#3 Boston University2418421115710453402810216397
#10 Maine241491010447667372312211994
#16 Providence241194312376658351813410083
#13 Massachusetts24121024203657623720143108105
#20 New Hampshire2412111100366956362015110690
Northeastern249141130306571361716311397
Connecticut249141111294977361519290105
Vermont247143103265281351319387106
Merrimack246171011216285351321198114
Massachusetts Lowell24417314018397836824472113
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll

Schedule and results

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DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 7 7:00 pm at #2 Michigan* #18 Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, MichiganBTN+ Svedebäck W 4–2  5,800 1–0–0
October 8 4:00 pm at #2 Michigan* #18 Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, MichiganBTN Svedebäck L 4–5  5,419 1–1–0
October 13 7:00 pm Stonehill* #13 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 7–1  2,969 2–1–0
October 20 7:00 pm #2 Denver* #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–3  3,465 3–1–0
October 21 7:00 pm Rensselaer* #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–2  2,026 4–1–0
October 27 7:00 pm Vermont #7 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–1  2,074 5–1–0 (1–0–0)
October 28 7:00 pm Vermont #7 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck T 2–2 SOL 1,727 5–1–1 (1–0–1)
November 3 7:00 pm at #15 New Hampshire #7 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Svedebäck T 1–1 SOW 6,501 5–1–2 (1–0–2)
November 4 7:00 pm #15 New Hampshire #7 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 2–0  2,850 6–1–2 (2–0–2)
November 10 7:00 pm Northeastern #5 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 2–1 OT 2,914 7–1–2 (3–0–2)
November 11 7:00 pm at Northeastern #5 Matthews ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck W 5–2  3,391 8–1–2 (4–0–2)
November 16 7:00 pm #15 Massachusetts #5 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck L 2–3  2,828 8–2–2 (4–1–2)
November 18 4:00 pm at #15 Massachusetts #5 Mullins CenterAmherst, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck L 1–2 OT 4,670 8–3–2 (4–2–2)
November 24 9:00 pm at #13 Arizona State* #9 Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona  Svedebäck L 3–4 OT 4,990 8–4–2
November 25 3:00 pm at #13 Arizona State* #9 Mullett ArenaTempe, Arizona  Svedebäck W 2–1  4,626 9–4–2
December 9 4:30 pm at # Boston College #9 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+, NESN Svedebäck L 4–5  7,884 9–5–2 (4–3–2)
December 30 7:00 pm at Brown* #10 Meehan AuditoriumProvidence, Rhode Island (Mayor's Cup)ESPN+ Svedebäck W 3–0  1,524 10–5–2
January 12 7:00 pm at #1 Boston College #9 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck L 1–7  7,489 10–6–2 (4–4–2)
January 13 6:00 pm #1 Boston College #9 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–3  2,904 11–6–2 (5–4–2)
January 19 7:00 pm Alaska Anchorage* #9 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 2–0  2,365 12–6–2
January 20 7:00 pm Alaska Anchorage* #9 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck L 0–4  2,415 12–7–2
January 26 7:15 pm at Massachusetts Lowell #10 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck W 7–2  5,929 13–7–2 (6–4–2)
January 27 7:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–3 OT 2,270 14–7–2 (7–4–2)
February 2 7:00 pm at Connecticut #10 Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Svedebäck W 5–0  2,691 15–7–2 (8–4–2)
February 3 7:00 pm Connecticut #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck L 1–2  2,870 15–8–2 (8–5–2)
February 9 7:00 pm at #7 Maine #10 Alfond ArenaOrono, MaineESPN+ Svedebäck L 1–2  5,043 15–9–2 (8–6–2)
February 10 7:00 pm at #7 Maine #10 Alfond ArenaOrono, MaineESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–3 OT 4,745 16–9–2 (9–6–2)
February 16 7:00 pm #3 Boston University #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck T 2–2 SOW 2,865 16–9–3 (9–6–3)
February 17 6:00 pm at #3 Boston University #10 Agganis ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck L 2–5  5,856 16–10–3 (9–7–3)
February 24 6:05 pm at Massachusetts Lowell #12 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck W 2–1  5,342 17–10–3 (10–7–3)
February 29 7:00 pm at Merrimack #10 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, MassachusettsESPN+ Svedebäck W 4–2  1,832 18–10–3 (11–7–3)
March 1 6:00 pm Merrimack #10 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck L 1–2  2,017 18–11–3 (11–8–3)
March 7 7:00 pm #2 Boston University #11 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck L 2–4  2,498 18–12–3 (11–9–3)
March 9 4:00 pm Northeastern #11 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Svedebäck T 3–3 SOW 2,165 18–12–4 (11–9–4)
Hockey East Tournament
March 16 7:00 pm #16 Massachusetts* #13 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island (Quarterfinal)ESPN+, NESN+ Svedebäck L 1–3  2,644 18–13–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[3]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Nick PoissonF359152416
Tanner AdamsC/RW35615216
Chase YoderC351192026
Hudson MalinoskiC35991829
Guillaume RichardD353151827
Bennett SchimekF3489176
Luke KrysD356111716
Riley DuranC35971618
Jaroslav ChmelařLW/RW265101529
Graham GamacheF3568148
Austen MayD3049134
Connor KelleyD341111212
Jamie EngelbertC28741116
Craig NeedhamC34471131
Cal KiefiukF25281024
Liam ValenteC/LW2945910
Brady BerardC2726816
Taige HardingD3426812
Cam McDonaldD291678
Andrew CentrellaD180330
Clint LevensC2403331
Matt HubbardeC131012
Marcus BrännmanG20002
Philip SvedebäckG350000
Total100176276359

[4]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut outs SV % GAA
Philip Svedebäck352072:2118134807174.9002.32
Marcus Brännman544:51000390.7504.01
Empty Net-13:18---0----
Total352130:3018134837264.8972.34

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com 18 13 10 7 (1) 7 (2) 5 (1) 5 (3) 9 9 9 10 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 12 10 11 13 16 16 16
USA Hockey 20 15 12 8 9 6 5 (1) 9 9 10 11 11 9 9 11 10 13 11 11 10 10 14 16 16 16 16

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[5]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

2024 NHL entry draft

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Round Pick Player NHL team
119Trevor Connelly Vegas Golden Knights
367John Mustard Chicago Blackhawks
378Logan Sawyer Montreal Canadiens

† incoming freshman [6]

References

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  1. "Hockey East Quarterfinals: Friars vs UMass Highlights". YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  2. "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Providence Friars. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  3. "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Providence Friars. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  4. "Providence College 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2024 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024.