Thursday afternoon, the Arizona Coyotes named their new head coach for the 2021-22 season and it was good news for the Boston Bruins.
Providence Bruins head coach Jay Leach interviewed for the Coyotes opening last month, but on Thursday, Arizona named Andre Tourigny their new bench boss, meaning the Leach will remain with the Black and Gold’s origination for the time being. And that’s a good thing.
Why is it a good thing? Well for one reason, it means that he is still currently the head coach of the P-Bruins and he has done a very good job in the American Hockey League for the Bruins. He has overseen the growth development of several young players, including some of the stars right now on Causeway Street.
David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are just a few names that played for Leach in the AHL. Both of those players were not down in Rhode Island very long, but in their stints, he helped their game transition to the NHL game quicker than normal.
This past season, Leach oversaw rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman earlier in the season before the University of Maine star made his way to Boston to make his mark on the Bruins 2020-21 season. Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, and Jack Studnicka are other young prospects that have flourished under Leach in the AHL.
Wednesday, it was announced that Boston assistant coach Jay Pandolfo was leaving Bruce Cassidy’s side and heading to the college ranks to become an assistant coach at Boston University under Albie O’Connor. With an opening behind the Boston bench, does Cassidy and the front office bring up Leach from Providence so they don’t risk losing him to an NHL job? With his success with the P-Bruins, it’s only a matter of time before Leach gets his shot in the NHL.
On Thursday, Arizona decided to not select Leach as their next coach, which is good news for the Bruins, whether Leach is in the AHL or in Boston with Cassidy next season.