A sure sign that the NHL season is here is that Rookie Camp practices are underway, and the Boston Bruins are in Western New York to play the Buffalo Sabres prospects in the Prospects Showcase this weekend. On Sunday, the Bruins won 6-2, with the second and final game at the LECOM Harborcenter on Monday at noon.
Some prospects opened some eyes in the opener, and some prospects are looking to make an early name for themselves ahead of the Bruins training camp opening this week at Warrior Ice Arena. Two prospects playing this weekend in Buffalo who are going to look for a spot on Marco Sturm's Opening Night roster on Sept. 29 against the New York Rangers are Dans Locmelis and James Hagens.
Both had good openers, but there is another well-known prospect from Western New York taking part in the Showcase is Riley Duran. He played in the first game, but Providence Bruins coach in the American Hockey League (AHL), Trent Whitfield, announced on Sunday night a plan for Duran on Monday afternoon.
Bruins prospect Riley Duran to miss second Prospects Showcase game
Whitfield, who is taking over as P-Bruins head coach this season after Ryan Mougenel left this summer for an assistant coaching job with the Vancouver Canucks, said that Duran was only playing in Sunday's game and will sit out Monday's when pressed by Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe after the game.
"To be determined right now; I don't know exactly what we're going to do,'' said Whitfield, per Jake Ferraro of Black N' Gold Productions LLC. "Duran's only playing one (game); that's all I can really tell you. We had talked to (Duran) before the tournament started and encouraged him to come play one. He's more than willing to play two, but he played one, and he's ready to go (for training camp).''
Duran, selected in the sixth round of the 2020 Entry Draft, has two NHL games under his belt so far in his career, but getting a shot at making the roster this season in training camp is going to be very difficult for the 24-year-old Massachusetts native. He is part of a group of centers that is well behind the projected NHL pivots for Sturm this season.
Last season for Providence, Duran had seven goals and 12 assists in 72 games after scoring 12 and dishing out four assists in 2024-25. Expect him to get some preseason game action in the next couple of weeks, but expect him to begin the season in Providence again.
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