The Boston Bruins hired Trent Whitfield to coach their American Hockey League team in Providence. It's a move many circled once Ryan Mougenel left for the NHL, and now it's confirmed by the team.
Whitfield was waiting in the wings for this chance to coach the P-Bruins. He was behind their bench for the past decade and coached in multiple leagues before that. Now, Whitfield is handed a tough task with the Bruins turning the page on their AHL team.
Mougenel was among the best coaches in the AHL. He built Providence into a great team over the years and had them built in his vision, as a physical and smart team that was different, yet successful. The 2025-26 team was his finest, one that finished the season with the best record in the league to earn him the AHL's Coach of the Year award.
The Bruins came up short in the Calder Cup Playoffs, losing to the Springfield Thunderbirds in a four-game series that exposed their weaknesses. That said, the season showed that Mougenel was one of the league's top coaches and deserving of an NHL promotion.
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