AHL: John Farinacci Could Be a Key Player for the Providence Bruins in 2025-26

The Boston Bruins made plenty of moves at the start of free agency, signing several bottom-six forwards and creating what is sure to be an interesting roster battle when training camp begins, with so many players fighting for a few spots.

One player who is feeling the heat after some of these moves is John Farinacci, who the Bruins recently re-signed to a one-year contract with a $775,000 cap hit if he is in the NHL. Farinacci made his NHL debut against the New Jersey Devils in April, scoring his first NHL goal at the same time in the second period with an assist from Jakub Lauko.

Farinacci is likely on the outside looking in due to the current bottom-six logjam in Boston, so that means he will likely be spending the majority of the season an hour and a half down I-95 with the AHL Providence Bruins. Farinacci is likely going to be a major player for the P-Bruins when he’s down there.

After joining Providence after signing with the Bruins out of Harvard University, Farinacci contributed a strong 12 goal, 26 assist campaign for the P-Bruins, giving him 38 points and an even zero plus/minus in 71 games. In the Calder Cup playoffs that year, he had one goal and one assist in four games.

This past season, Farinacci stepped up his game for the P-Bruins. After picking up 38 points in 71 games in 2023-24, he equaled that total in just 58 games played. If he didn’t miss a chunk of the back end of the season due to an upper-body injury, Farinacci was probably going to surge past that point total. He contributed one goal in eight playoff games for Providence when he returned from both his injury and his brief stint with the NHL club.

In addition to matching his previous season’s point total in 13 fewer games, Farinacci’s plus/minus was +9, and he had 10 fewer penalty minutes, with six in 2024-25 as opposed to 16 the year prior.

With so much roster uncertainty surrounding the Boston Bruins, there is a chance that Farinacci will play in the NHL again this year, especially if the Bruins remain out of playoff contention. He is certain to play a big role for the Providence Bruins when he is down in the AHL, and he will have a large part in whatever success the team has in the coming season.