According to a release, the Providence Bruins have announced that Matt Pinchevsky will be joining their coaching staff throughout training camp as a guest coach through the National Hockey League Coaches Association (NHLCA) BIPOC and Female Coaches Program.
Pinchevsky was one of two coaches and one executive selected through the program that were selected to participate in AHL camps this season. The other two will join the Rockford IceHogs.
In 2022, the NHLCA began this program to give opportunities to minority coaches at all levels. It gives them an opportunity to develop their skills as coaches, network with NHL teams, and expand their visibility at a higher level than they are currently at. While the program has been in effect since 2022, this is the first year that they have extended offers into preseason camps.
Pinchevsky’s Connections to New England
Outside of this opportunity with the Bruins, Pinchevsky, despite being from Pembroke Pines, Fla., has strong ties to hockey in the New England Region.
In the 2002-03 season, Pinchevsky was on the roster for the Bridgewater Bandits, a junior league team in Bridgewater, MA. At the time, the Bandits played in the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL), but they now play in the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). They play their home games at Bridgewater Ice Arena.
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Following his time in Bridgewater, Pinchevsky played three years of college hockey at Curry College in Milton, MA from 2003 to 2006. Pinchevsky’s time with the Colonels was very limited, and he only played in seven games in that time, recording just three points (all assists).
Following nearly 10 years away from hockey according to Elite Prospects.com, Pinchevsky returned to hockey as head coach the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights of the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (MetJHL). Following one season there as head coach, he left coaching for a few years before returning to behind the bench in New England.
In his return in the 2019-20 season, Pinchevsky began the next steps in his coaching journey in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) as the Director of Player Development and associate head coach of the Maine Nordiques under head coach Nolan Howe. Unfortunately, the season was canceled due to COVID-19, so he had to wait for his time to officially begin in the 2020-21 season where he spent the entire season in the position he was hired for.
However, following just one full season as associate head coach and Director of Player Development, he replaced Howe just 16 games into the season.
Unfortunately, the Nordiques did not qualify for postseason play that season, but after being named head coach to start the following season, Pinchevsky took Maine to the second round of the postseason. In the first round, the Nordiques swept their opponents, the New Jersey Titans, by an easy margin of three games to none. In the second round, it was not so easy as Pinchevsky’s squad fell to the Maryland Black Bears three to one.
Following the one season as head coach, Pinchevsky returned to the college ranks and was hired by the University of Southern Maine of the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC). In his first season as head coach of the Huskies, Pinchevsky led them to a 10-14-3 record and to the semi-finals of the NEHC tournament where they eventually fell to top-seeded Hobart College.
This was the first 10-win season since 2010-11 season, but Pinchevsky also led his team to three upset wins throughout the season including one over number-11 Norwich University in the opening round of the NEHC tournament.
What Will Pinchevsky Bring to Camp?
Pinchevsky brings with him a track record of turning teams around, and, while the Providence Bruins have not missed the playoffs in more than a decade, he is hoping to help light a fire under the team and help them to hit the ground running from day one.
Pinchevsky is hoping to break into at least the AHL sometime in the near future. While breaking through with the Bruins may be tough for him, going through camp with Providence will be a good networking opportunity for him to at the very least get his foot in the door.
Providence opens up their preseason play on Oct. 5 on the road vs. the Springfield Thunderbirds at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA, puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
