The AHL's Hershey Bears and Coachella Valley Firebirds are set to compete for the Calder Cup in a rematch of last year's championship beginning Friday, and several players with past ties to the Boston Bruins organization will be competing.
While the Providence Bruins bowed out of the AHL Playoffs in the Atlantic Division Semifinals to the Hartford Wolfpack on May 10, losing the series 3-1, a handful of players who previously played in the Boston Bruins organization are still vying for the Calder Cup as the Hershey Bears and Coachella Valley Firebirds kick off their seven-game series on Friday.
It's a rematch of last year's championship matchup, where Hershey won Game 7 in overtime to secure their 12th Calder Cup. The Washington Capitals affiliate has one player on the roster who spent a brief time with the Providence Bruins a couple years ago.
Aaron Ness, a 34-year-old defenseman, played with Providence during the 2021-22 season. He totaled three goals and 19 points in his lone season with the P-Bruins. While he never made an appearance for Boston, he has 72 NHL games under his belt with the New York Islanders, Washington Capitals and Arizona Coyotes. The Islanders selected him in the second round (40th overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Ness has one goal and one assist in 10 games for the Bears this postseason.
While Ness will try to help the Bears defend their title, three other former Providence Bruins -- Connor Carrick, Cameron Hughes and Ian McKinnon -- will aim to bring Coachella Valley its first Calder Cup. The Seattle Kraken affiliate is in just its second season of existence and has reached the championship both times.
Carrick, a 30-year-old defenseman, was with the Bruins just last season, scoring six goals and 44 points in 63 games in Providence. He also appeared in one NHL game for Boston, registering an assist in the Bruins' 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 9. Carrick has six points (one goal, five assists) in 12 playoff games for Coachella Valley this year.
The Bruins selected Hughes in the sixth round (165th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Both of his two career NHL appearances were with Boston -- one game in 2019-20 and the other in 2020-21 -- and he played 194 games in Providence across five seasons. He scored 45 points (14 goals, 31 assists) in 59 games in 2021-22, his final in Providence, before joining Coachella Valley. The 27-year-old forward has nine points, all assists, for the Firebirds in this playoff run.
McKinnon, 26, does not have any NHL experience, and he has not appeared for the Firebirds in this year's postseason, but he played in 21 games for Providence between 2020-21 and 2021-22. He scored one goal and one assists in 20 games for Coachella Valley during the regular season.
Game 1 of the 2024 Calder Cup Finals between Hershey and Coachella Valley starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.
