The Bruins are opening their 102nd season with a fresh wave of changes in hockey operations, adding a mix of familiar faces, analytics help and new support staff across the organization.
One of the bigger moves is Dean Malkoc shifting into a pro scouting role after spending the past four years as Associate Director of Amateur Scouting. Malkoc, 56, has been around the Bruins for 20 years in one capacity or another, and his hockey background runs through 116 NHL games from 1995-1999.
Seventy-three of those came in Boston, where he played as a stay-at-home defenseman who was willing to pile up penalty minutes. His playing career wrapped up after a stint with the Islanders.
Josh Pohlkamp-Hartt is moving up as well, taking over as Director of Hockey Analytics after previously serving as Associate Director from 2023-26. Entering his eighth season with the organization, he works on models that feed into everything from scouting and prospect evaluation to in-game strategy for the Bruins.
The club is also adding Kyle Chauvette in a dual capacity, naming him the official Emergency Backup Goaltender while he also works as a Video Scout. With the NHL now permitting teams to carry their own “EBUGs” on the road, Chauvette brings a real playing background to the job.
The 24-year-old was a four-year Division I goalie at Union College and New Hampshire, recently finished his own formal playing career, and was USHL teammates with Bruins prospect Riley Duran. He already has one emergency appearance on his résumé, having been called upon by San Jose last March.
On the scouting side, Josh Cooper and Leland Mack are joining as amateur scouts. Cooper will focus on the OHL after working with the London Knights, while Mack will cover the WHL after serving as Director of Scouting for the Prince George Cougars.
The Bruins also filled several roles with the AHL’s Providence team. Cam Wolbach, a native of South Groveland, Massachusetts, is now Team Operations and Video Coordinator.
Benjamin Snyder joins as Assistant Video Coordinator after serving as a Student Manager for the University of Connecticut’s Division I team. Aidan Matthews comes in as Team Services and Operations Specialist, bringing experience from operations work with the Savannah Bananas.
Amanda Feldman rounds out the additions as Team Dietitian, arriving from the Boston Fleet of the PWHL after the past three years in that same role and as a Boston University graduate.
In Other News...
Peterka Already Changes How Dangerous Bostons Top Six Feels
JJ Peterka did not need long to show why the Bruins wanted his skill in the mix. In their latest game, he scored and helped drive the kind of quick, attack-minded shifts Boston has been looking for, a welcome jolt for a lineup that has often had to grind for offense. The Bruins still won 3-0 behind Jeremy Swaymans strong goaltending and a defense that held up without Charlie McAvoy, but Peterkas presence added a different layer to the forward group.
What makes the early return even more intriguing is where Peterka might fit as Boston keeps sorting out its best combinations. The Bruins are clearly trying to build chemistry that can make their top six feel more dangerous, and Peterka gives them a new piece to work with alongside established talent and a rookie still finding his place. If that alignment clicks, it could change the way opposing teams have to defend Boston every night. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Got The First Sign Their New Pieces Could Matter Fast
The Bruins did not need long to get a read on some of their newer faces Wednesday night at TD Garden, and the early answer was encouraging. Boston opened its season with a 3-0 win over the Rangers, with JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also finding the net and Mason Lohrei helping set up one of the key plays. In a game that stayed tight for most of the night, the Bruins got the sort of immediate contribution they had been hoping to see from pieces still settling into place.
Fraser Minten supplied the deciding goal, and the way Boston closed out the opener only added to the sense that the roster may already be finding some traction. Jeremy Swayman backed it up with a shutout against a Rangers team that had chances but could not solve him, while Igor Shesterkin was forced to handle repeated pressure at the other end. For a club looking to learn quickly what its new additions can bring, this was about as clean a first look as it could ask for. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Opening Night Puts Bostons New Identity Under Immediate Pressure
The Bruins begin their season at TD Garden against the Rangers, and the night already carries the feel of a reset. Marco Sturm has his group lined up for an opening test that will double as an early read on the clubs new look, with recent comments from Sturm, Will Borgen and Hampus Lindholm underscoring how much of the focus has been on preparation, structure and settling into roles before the first puck drop.
There is also immediate curiosity baked into the matchup because Boston will see Borgen in a debut that comes with extra familiarity, and the spotlight on the leadership group only adds to it. David Pastrnak is stepping into a different kind of responsibility this season after being named the 28th captain in franchise history, and how the Bruins handle that first game under the new identity will say plenty about the tone they are trying to set. [Read more 🡒]