New P-Bruins coach believes Poitras, Brunet are ready for NHL

Trent Whitfield, who was hired as the new head coach of the Providence Bruins on Monday, spoke to the media for the first time in his new role on Wednesday. Among the topics of conversation were his opinions on a few Bruins players who are on the cusp of joining Boston this upcoming season.

Specifically, Whitfield, who spent the last 10 years as an assistant coach in Providence, shared his thoughts on Matt Poitras and Frederic Brunet, both of whom he believes are ready for the NHL when their opportunities arise.

Whitfield says it's ‘a matter of time’ before Poitras sticks in NHL

One player in the Bruins organization who still remains close to making a more permanent jump to the NHL is 22-year-old center Matt Poitras. Both Don Sweeney and previous Providence coach Ryan Mougenel have made comments about the growth of his defensive game and his NHL readiness.

Whitfield shared a similar assessment of Poitras on Wednesday:

"It was always just going to be a matter of time with Matty,” Whitfield said. “He's a great kid, really talented player. I'm really excited for his opportunity to come this year, to really make his mark up there in Boston."

Whitfield talked about the hard work Poitras put in in Providence last season as he dealt with the disappointment of not being in Boston.

“I think Potsy really did a good job last year,” Whitfield said. “I think it was hard. He was one of those guys it was really hard on him to get sent down. I had a lot of good, hard conversations with him to get his mindset in a good spot.”

Whitfield continued, "Potsy works hard. He puts the work in. He's the first on the ice and last guy off the ice almost every day. There's no issues with his work ethic. It was always going to be about getting a little bit stronger.”

Whitfield said Poitras, who is still in need of a new contract as a restricted free agent, has made progress towards being strong enough to handle the physical demands of playing center in the NHL.

“To be a centerman at this level and then into the NHL, physically you’ve got to be strong, because you’re playing against 6-foot-4, 215-pound centermen in the NHL,” Whitfield said. “If you’re not strong, you're going to get taken advantage of at times out there. I think that’s a part of Potsy’s game that’s really changed is his ability to get stronger. By the second half of last year he was winning a lot more pucks, making a lot more plays, and he just looked a lot more comfortable.”

Poitras, who has played 69 games in the NHL, is hoping to stick in Boston this season after playing in just three games with the big club last season when Pavel Zacha was out of the lineup due to injury. Poitras would need to clear waivers to be sent back to the AHL.

Whitfield on P-Bruins’ ‘best defenseman’ Brunet

Whitfield also gave his insight on Frederic Brunet’s skillset and what makes him ready for the NHL.

“Last year he took huge strides and was probably our best defenseman from day one right through the end of the season,” Whitfield said.

"He's well on his way. Now he just needs a little bit of runway in Boston... He's ready to go, mentally, physically, his skillset, he's an NHL player,” Whitfield continued.

Whitfield, who has coached Brunet since the 22-year-old defenseman joined Providence in 2023, said he’s seen a massive amount of growth in his game over his 183-game AHL career.

“Brunet has come a long way from year one to now,” Whitfield said. “He put some offense in his game, he put the work in away from the rink, he came in after every summer stronger, faster and more prepared than he was the year before.”

So far, Brunet has one game of NHL experience, playing 14:23 in the Bruins’ final game of the 2024-25 season, but Whitfield said he’s excited to see how Brunet’s future pans out in the NHL in the near future. Like Poitras, Brunet would need to clear waivers to be sent back to the AHL.

“He moves really well around the ice. I’m really excited for Freddy over the next couple of years and where he’s going,” Whitfield said.

Whitfield not worried about DiPietro’s transition to the NHL

Whitfield also gave his endorsement of goalie Michael DiPietro, who was the AHL goalie of the year two years in a row with Providence and is expected to back up Jeremy Swayman in Boston this season.

Whitfield stated with confidence that DiPietro will have no issue with his transition to the NHL.

“I have no concerns with Mike. He's going to do a great job in the NHL,” Whitfield said. “He's an NHL goalie, he’s ready to go now. He's outgrown the American League and it's time for him now to take a job up there."

DiPietro is in line to fill the backup vacancy in Boston after the Bruins traded Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers on July 1.

DiPietro has just two NHL starts in his career, one on Feb. 19, 2019, and the other on Jan. 23, 2022, both with his previous organization, the Vancouver Canucks. In total, DiPietro has played 131 minutes in the NHL and just 6:03 in net as a Bruin.

But, DiPietro has a decorated AHL resume, including being back-to-back Goalie of the Year in the AHL the last two seasons and winning AHL MVP this year.