Providence Friars Coach Gives Insight Into Bruins Goalie Prospect

BOSTON — The first two games of last season’s Hockey East Tournament were identical for the Providence College men’s hockey team with the Friars eking out overtimes wins.

And Providence head coach Nate Leaman believes sophomore goalie Philip Svedeback stands the most to gain from that win-or-go-home experience, which ended with an overtime loss to Boston University in the semifinals.

“First and foremost, it helps our goaltender because I thought being a freshman goaltender in Hockey East is a tough thing to do,” Leaman said during Tuesday’s Hockey East media day at TD Garden. “He played exceptional at the beginning of the season. He played exceptional in the playoffs. I think the experience for him is what’s really going to help carry us forward.”

Svedeback is a name Boston Bruins fans should have on their radar since the organization selected the Swedish netminder in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He even attended Bruins development camp this summer.

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The 6-foot-3, 205-pound goalie showed well during his first season with the Friars. He posted a 14-11-7 record with a .909 save percentage and 2.18 goals-against average, which was third-best in all of Hockey East. Svedeback performed well in the Hockey East Tournament, too, with three straight 20-plus-save performances.

After 33 starts in net during the 2022-23 campaign, that experience should pay dividends for Svedeback as he’s back between the pipes this season for the Friars, who placed sixth in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll.

With Devon Levi jumping to the NHL from Northeastern, Hockey East is looking for a new premier goalie. But before Svedeback becomes that, he’ll need to make an improvement in one key area.

“Consistency is the hardest thing for a young goaltender,” Leaman said. “Being able to bring it back-to-back nights, being able to focus on the road. I think you get a spike at the beginning of the year because everything’s new and fresh. But when you get into the grind of the season, sometimes it can catch up with the freshmen.

“So, the consistency, it comes from practice and practice habits. We’ve been on the ice a couple times. He made great gains in the summer. It’s about bringing it every day and if he can find that, I think he’ll have a lot more consistency on the ice.”

Svedeback isn’t the only Bruins prospect suiting up for the Friars as Riley Duran, who the Bruins drafted in sixth round in 2020, is looking to build off his sophomore season.