Opening statement
Two weeks removed from his Senior Night ceremonies at Providence College last March, Kyle MacKinnon garnered a bite-sized extension to his skating stay in the Divine City. Within another two weeks, he elevated the implications of his extension by seeing action in five of the P-Bruins last six games in April.
And now, he shall extend his stay all the more through a one-year deal with the P-Bruins.
2010-11 Highlights (With Providence College and P-Bruins)
• Led the Friars with 14 goals and 100 shots on net.
• Scored two goals in an Oct. 15 visit to Minnesota-Duluth, the eventual NCAA champions.
• Had a hand in two goals, including an assist on the game-clincher, to beat UMass-Amherst, 3-2, Oct. 30.
• Scored his second college hat trick on eight shots to singlehandedly defeat Alabama-Huntsville, 3-1, Nov. 12.
• Had a hand in both PC goals, including an assist on the game-winner, to beat Holy Cross, 2-1, Nov. 27.
• Made his AHL debut April 1 and scored the game-winner in the P-Bruins 3-2 road victory over Springfield on April 9.
2010-11 Lowlights
• Finished last among all Skating Friars with a minus-14 rating on the year.
• Was on the ice for four opposing goals in a 7-1 loss to Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 16.
• Endured a four-game pointless drought between Dec. 4 and Jan. 7.
• Was on the ice for all three goals in a Feb. 11 loss to Boston College.
• Inserted 10 goals within the first 15 games of the college season, only to close out with four strikes in a span of 19 outings.
• Season rating dropped 10 points from a minus-4 to a minus-14 over his final 12 games as a Friar.
2011-12 Outlook
For this undrafted winger who grew up on the opposite coast in Walnut, Calif., the opportunity to join and contribute to a down-and-slowly-recovering P-Bruins team was chiefly a product of serendipity. To start his amateur tryout, MacKinnon paid his dues in two weeks of strict practice and was rewarded by playing five AHL games and notching three points along the way.
So long as he does not leave that work ethic unsupervised, MacKinnon should make first-year head coach and former assistant Bruce Cassidy happy to have him for at least one season.
