The Boston Bruins have the top goaltending tandem in the National Hockey League. Linus Ullmark leads the league in goals-against average and save percentage while posting a 30-4-1 record. Jeremy Swayman is a backup goalie who could start on several teams in the league. The former third-round pick of the Bruins is sixth in goals against, and 12th in save percentage. It is an incredible luxury to have for the best team in hockey. But the solid netminding in the Bruins organization does not stop there.
A recent trade saw Providence goaltender Keith Kinkaid get shipped for center prospect Shane Bowers. The 33-year-old netminder won one game with the Bruins this season and split time with two other goalies in Providence. The veteran of 168 NHL games was expendable because the Bruins organization has five promising goalies. Over the years, Boston has developed outstanding puck-stoppers, including Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, and Swayman. Goaltending Coach Bob Essensa has been with the organization since September 2003 and is widely regarded as a top mentor of goalies in the league. The netminders in Boston are in great hands, and here are five goalies in the Bruins’ pipeline who make up one of the top groups in hockey.
Brandon Bussi – Providence Bruins
The former Western Michigan University goalie has sparkled since turning pro. Bussi, who turns 25 in June, was named an Atlantic Division All-Star and competed in the AHL All-Star Challenge. The Boston Bruins currently have the top goalie tandem in the NHL with All-Star Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Bussi will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and could also be a trade chip as the Bruins compete for a Stanley Cup. But for now, Bussi is leading the Atlantic Division-leading Providence Bruins to a playoff berth. The tall netminder is 16-2-4 with Providence with a .930 save percentage and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Kyle Keyser – Providence Bruins
Keyser is a 23–year-old goalie from Coral Springs, Florida, who, like his teammate Bussi, went undrafted. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound goaltender is 7-2-2 with Providence and will now see more opportunities with the departure of Kinkaid. Keyser will also be a restricted free agent after the season. The former Oshawa General of the Ontario Hockey League has spent the better part of four seasons with Providence, except when he played for the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL on loan in 2020-21.
Philip Svedeback – Providence College
Svedeback was a fourth-round draft pick in 2021 of the Bruins during his playing days in the Swedish League. The Stockholm native played last season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints and was 15-7-5 with a 2.95 goals-against average. This season is Svedeback’s freshman year at Providence College with fellow Bruins prospect Riley Duran. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound goalie is 12-10-7 with a stellar 2.23 goals against average for the Friars. The soon-to-be 21-year-old should be returning to the Friars next season as well.
Michael DiPietro
DiPietro was acquired along with defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg in a trade that saw Jack Studnicka shipped to Vancouver. DiPietro had an inauspicious NHL debut in 2018-19 as an emergency goalie for the Canucks and allowed seven goals. The Windsor, Ontario native had an up-and-down start to his professional career hampered by COVID. But now the 6-foot, 200-pound netminder is settling in with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL and is 11-5-0 with a 2.53 goals against average and .919 save percentage. The former third-round pick in 2017 has the potential to return to the NHL under better circumstances someday. You guessed it, DiPietro is a restricted free agent at the season’s end.
Reid Dyck – Swift Current Broncos
Dyck is a raw talent with more of a long shot to make the NHL down the road. The sixth-round draft pick in 2022 is in his third season with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. The 6-foot-4 goalie is a terrific athlete who is still learning the position. This season, Winkler, Manitoba native, has a 3.84 goals against average and two shutouts. Before being drafted, eliteprospects.com had Dyck as “fast and effective with his hands, he handles flukey bounces well and thrives among his draft contemporaries when it comes to snagging high shots sent his way when he’s out of position.” Dyck is currently unsigned.
The future is bright in the net for the Bruins. Linus Ullmark is signed for two more seasons, and Jeremy Swayman is approaching restricted free-agent status at the end of the season. Overall, the organization is in great shape now and for years to come.
Season 4. Episode 34. Marco? Polo? – Bruins Benders Podcast
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