When the final horn sounded on Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, the Providence Bruins' 2024-25 season came to an end with a 5-2 loss to the Checkers in the second round of the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs. For some of the younger players in the organization, playing in the postseason at any level after Boston missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs was big in their development.
There are several players who benefited from playing two rounds in the postseason, and one of those who may have had the most to gain was prospect Matthew Poitras. After beginning the season in Boston, he was sent down in November under former coach Jim Montgomery before coming back up later in the season. He was once again sent down to the AHL, but each time down there, he improved and got better.
Following the elimination at Charlotte on Sunday, head coach Ryan Mougenel spoke with the media and praised Poitras and painted a promising outlook for the second round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft.
Providence coach Ryan Mougenel praises Matthew Poitras for postseason run
In eight postseason games, Poitras had two goals and two assists, but it was the plays he made where he didn't pick up any points and the plays he made where he set teammates up for goals. You could tell he was a different player the last couple of weeks.
“It was telling for a lot of guys. We got a lot of answers. (Matt Poitras) stepped up in the playoffs, which is an important part of it,'' said Mougenel. "We’re going to go on and build a winning culture in Boston, it’s encouraging that he played like a man.''
Going into next season under a new coach, Poitras is a player that Boston needs to step up and be an every night player in the NHL. Whether it's up the middle at center or on the wing, Poitras needs to be a contributor and just maybe this postseason run in the AHL helped him turn a corner.