Providence has set a course for one local hockey player as he makes his way through the professional ranks.
Warfield’s Craig Cunningham was one of 10 Boston Bruins players assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Friday.
After surviving a first round of cuts, the Bruins pared down their roster even further, sending Cunningham and 10 others to Providence, Rhode Island and another five to their respective junior teams.
Cunningham reported to the Providence Bruins camp yesterday and will likely play for the AHL team for the remainder of the season.
In July, he was rewarded with an entry-level three year contract after attending the Bruins development camp.
At the time, Cunningham acknowledged it was going to be a difficult task cracking the defending Stanley Cup champions’ lineup when they were only losing two players from last year.
“I’m not expecting to go in and make the team this year but under the new salary cap things change so quickly . . . I’d like to be there in the third year of my contract,” Cunningham said.
The five-foot-nine, 190-pound forward split the 2010-11 season between the Portland Winterhawks and the Vancouver Giants. In 71 total games, the 20-year-old forward tallied 27 goals along with 60 assists for 87 points. In 21 playoff games with the Winterhawks this season, the forward posted seven goals and 14 assists before falling to the Kootenay Ice in the WHL Championship.
Cunningham spent his first four junior seasons with the Vancouver Giants, setting career highs in goals (37) and points (97) in his 2009-10 season.
Forwards Marc Cantin, Carter Camper, Josh Hennessy, Kirk MacDonald, and Jamie Tardif, along with defensemen Andrew Bodnarchuk, Ryan Button, Nathan McIver and Kevan Miller were also assigned to Providence.
Providence’s first regular season game is Oct. 7 against the St. John’s IceCaps.