60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Providence College

Providence College

2018-19 Record: 24-12-6 (14-7-3, T-2nd in Hockey East)
Head Coach: Nate Leaman, 9th Year
Top returning scorer: Jack Dugan (10G-29A)
Top returning goaltender: Gabe Mollot-Hill (Jr.)

It's okay if you're not entirely familiar with this version of Providence College. The "what's new" section could just say "almost everything."

Nate Leaman sticks around (although he did interview with the Ottawa Senators). The system remains the same. Providence returns three of the eight players who scored 20 points or more plus the majority of its blue line, but the combinations and leadership will be different than the team who reached the 2019 Frozen Four.

The Friars had four early departures for the pros on top of its seniors. All-American Josh Wilkins signed with Nashville as an undrafted free agent after a breakout junior season. Brandon Duhaime (Minnesota), Kasper Bjorkqvist (Pittsburgh) and Jacob Bryson (Buffalo) signed with the NHL teams who drafted them.

Three-year starting goalie Hayden Hawkey graduated, leaving a hole in goal. Even Jay O'Brien, Philadelphia's 2018 first-round pick, transferred to Boston University after an injury-plagued freshman season.

What's New: Almost everything.

What Else I Missed: More departures. Associate head coach Kris Mayotte, one of the key people behind PC's recruiting success, left to join Mel Pearson's staff at Michigan. He's replaced by Joel Beal, who originally joined Bentley's staff this summer.

To help replace Hawkey, former Harvard goaltender Michael Lackey grad transfers to Providence. In his one year starting full-time, Lackey had a .914% save percentage. Injuries cost him most of his final month, but he returned for the ECAC and NCAA Tournaments.

Another option is incoming freshman Jake Kucharski. The 2018 7th round draft pick by Carolina has battled injuries in recent seasons, coming off a year where he played nine total games. He's one of 12 Providence freshmen for 2019-20. It's a group that has three Sioux City alums (D Luke Johnson and forwards Albin Nilsson and Parker Ford, who attended the US World Junior Summer Showcase) and three NHL draft picks (F Patrick Moniyhan, D Max Crozier and Kucharski) among the eight forwards, three defenders and goalie.

Closing Thoughts: Yes, Providence took advantage of playing in its hometown. Yes, the Friars made the Frozen Four as a No. 4 seed for the second time in five NCAA Tournaments.

Yes, the situation was nice but Nate Leaman can be a constant threat, coaching a well-rounded team with elite puck possession and defense. It's a team that even in losses knew they could play with anyone. The only team with a bigger Corsi close was UMD, who had similar team offense and defense stats. On average, PC outshot teams by nearly 10 shots per game.

Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater, Leaman's success comes with putting a group together that can play the style he wants. Jack Dugan for a good portion of the season was the best rookie in Hockey East. Lackey makes for a solid one-year stopgap.

With 19 underclassmen, Providence features a new group that has its work cut out to extend the Friars' streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to seven. (Only tomorrow's profile, Denver, has a longer active NCAA streak.) It's a challenge, but one with a talented group and the familiar face of a head coach that has made the most out of situations - both good and bad - during his PC tenure.

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