The Boston Bruins continued to solidify their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they signed goalie Michael DiPietro to a one-year, $775,000, two-way contract extension.
The 24-year-old, 6-foot, 200-pound Providence Bruins goaltender was set to become a 2024 Group 6 unrestricted free agent next July.
If you haven’t followed the Providence Bruins closely, you may not realize the Bruins’ AHL affiliate has somewhat followed their parent club’s lead when it comes to rotating goalies. Brandon Bussi has gone 19-9-3 with a 2.63 goals against average and a .913 save percentage, and Dipietro is 17-8-4 with a 2.52 GAA and a .917 save percentage. The Boston Bruins do have a bit more of a strict goaltending rotation with Jeremy Swayman going 22-7-8 with a 2.56 GAA and a .917 save percentage and Linus Ullmark going 19-7-7 with a 2.64 GAA and a .914 save percentage. However, there’s clearly a desire, both at the NHL and AHL levels to have at least a 1A and 1B goalie setup.
The Boston Bruins acquired Michael DiPietro and the rights to defenseman Jonathan Myrenberg from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for center Jack Studnicka on October 28, 2022. At the time, many questioned whether or not the Bruins were giving up too early on the then-23-year-old Studnicka whome they had drafted in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The Bruins AHL scouts deserve a ton of credit for helping to find a player in return that is showing the potential of becoming a diamond in the rough.
Dipietro was drafted a round later than Studnicka in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft when the Canucks selected him 64th overall. Since then, the Windsor, Ontario has gone on to a successful junior career in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires and the Ottawa 67’s.
DiPietro was also a goalie on the Hockey Canada team that won gold at the 2020 U20 World Junior Championships. By then he had already played one NHL game for the Canucks and was in the midst of a 36-game season for the Utica Comets in the AHL. DiPietro has since played in two more NHL games, 104 AHL and 29 in the ECHL for the Maine Mariners last season before being called up yo and sticking in the AHL with Providence.
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