Providence College Professional Athletes

Brandon Duhaime Delivers for Toronto

Providence College's Brandon Duhaime had the kind of week that silences doubters. The Maple Leafs winger saved his best for Thursday's thriller against the Rangers, posting a goal and two assists in a 5-4 come-from-behind win — a three-point night that anchored Toronto's fourth line and set the tone for a strong week.

The goal itself was pure grit: Duhaime pounced on his own rebound to tie the game in the second period, his first as a Maple Leaf. From there, the fourth line of Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, and Zack MacEwen didn't let up, combining for six points and dragging Toronto back into a game it had no business winning. Troy Stecher eventually buried the winner with 28 seconds left, but the foundation was laid by Duhaime's line. Then on Saturday, Duhaime added another assist in a dominant 7-2 dismantling of the Oilers. Over the week, he finished with one goal and three assists across two productive outings.

Desharnais Down 4–6 Weeks

The news out of Washington wasn't as bright. Vincent Desharnais underwent a successful appendectomy Thursday and is expected to miss four to six weeks, the Capitals announced Friday. The timing stings — Desharnais had recorded two assists just days earlier in a 4-2 win over the Devils and appeared to be finding his footing on Washington's blue line. An already injury-tested Capitals team now has another hole to fill on the back end.

Around the NHL

Elsewhere, Providence alumni made their marks in quieter but notable ways.

Trevor Connelly (Golden Knights) posted two points — a goal and an assist — in Vegas's 6-2 rout of the Penguins on Sunday, giving him a productive start to the week before the Golden Knights dropped back-to-back games to the Blues and Blue Jackets.

Noel Acciari (Flyers) scored in Philadelphia's 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, then appeared in the Flyers' 3-1 win over the Sabres on Wednesday before a tough night in a 4-5 loss to the Ducks on Saturday.

Max Crozier (Lightning) chipped in an assist Saturday despite Tampa's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche.

Jake Walman (Oilers) had a mixed week — picking up an assist in Friday's 6-5 win over the Hurricanes but finishing at minus-2, and taking a minus-2 punch in Saturday's blowout loss to Toronto. Roger McQueen (Ducks) suited up in multiple games without registering a point, still working his way into the lineup at the NHL level.

The headline story this week belongs to Duhaime, whose three-point breakout game against New York was the kind of performance that earns line mates — and earns trust. For Desharnais and the Capitals, the calendar becomes the enemy for the next month-plus.

Providence Alumni Making Noise in the NHL's Opening Weeks

Two Providence College alumni are doing more than just sticking around on NHL rosters — they're producing when it matters, and their early-season résumés are worth a closer look.

Trevor Connelly, Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights' forward has been one of the more quietly productive stories of the young season. Connelly opened the week on Sunday with a goal and an assist in Vegas's 2-1 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings — a two-point night that made him one of three Golden Knights (alongside Mitch Marner and Mark Stone) to record a multi-point performance in that game. He scored the only regulation goal for Vegas, a power-play strike in the second period, before Marner's OT winner closed it out.

Connelly followed that up Wednesday in Nashville, scoring again as Vegas pulled away with a dominant third period in a 5-2 win over the Predators. His goal was part of a third-period surge that put the game away. He appeared again Friday versus the Flames, though without a point.

Three games, two goals, one assist — a productive stretch for the Providence product as he carves out a role on a contending roster.

Vincent Desharnais, Washington Capitals

Desharnais had the signature performance of the week among Providence alumni. The defenseman posted two assists and a +2 rating Saturday as the Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 — a win that gave Washington back-to-back victories. The effort was a clear reminder of what the big blueliner can bring when he's engaged offensively.

It wasn't a perfect week overall: he was held off the scoresheet in the Capitals' losses to Carolina and Montreal earlier in the stretch. But Desharnais finished +1 in both of those games despite his team taking the L, and his plus-minus sits in positive territory across the week. Washington will take it.

Around the Rest of the Friar NHL Alumni

Mark Jankowski continued his solid stretch with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring in back-to-back games — against the Flyers on Sunday and the Capitals on Tuesday — before adding another goal in Saturday's win over the Blackhawks. The veteran forward is making his presence felt on a Stanley Cup-defending roster that is rolling early.

Jake Walman missed time early in the week for the Oilers due to injury but was reportedly set to return to Edmonton's lineup by Saturday, according to morning skate reports. His absence was part of a broader injury crunch for the Oilers, who were also without Zach Hyman and Colton Dach.

Max Crozier saw action for the Lightning in a pair of games, finishing +1 in a win over the Kraken on Thursday after a tough -2 showing against the Rangers earlier in the week.

Providence Alumni Make Noise Early in Carolina

Two Friars made Carolina's opening week one to remember. Taylor Hall and Mark Jankowski both found the scoresheet in a high-scoring Hurricanes win over the Montreal Canadiens in the Habs' home opener, and Jankowski kept producing days later as Providence College's NHL alumni got off to a promising start.

Hall was the headliner, netting two goals as the Hurricanes rolled past Montreal 6-4 on Tuesday. With Sebastian Aho adding a goal and two assists, Carolina had plenty of firepower — but Hall's night stood out as the kind of performance that signals he's ready to contribute in a real way for a Hurricanes team with legitimate postseason ambitions. Jankowski wasn't just along for the ride either, chipping in a goal and an assist of his own in that same contest.

Jankowski then stayed hot into the weekend, adding another goal Saturday as Carolina beat Chicago 5-2. Through the early slate, the veteran forward has looked every bit like a value piece in Carolina's lineup — the kind of depth contributor who doesn't always grab headlines but keeps showing up on the scoresheet.

Connelly Announces Himself in Vegas

Away from the Hurricanes' run, freshman pro Trevor Connelly delivered one of the week's most dramatic moments. The rookie Golden Knight scored the decisive shootout goal in the fifth round as Vegas rallied from three goals down to stun the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 Thursday night in Las Vegas.

Connelly beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a backhand-forehand move — a highlight-reel finish under pressure — before Adin Hill denied John Tavares to seal it. It was the kind of moment that gets a young player's name circulating fast in a league full of skeptics. For Providence fans, it was a reminder of the pipeline the Friars have quietly built into professional hockey.

Brandon Duhaime, playing on the other side of that Maple Leafs-Golden Knights matchup, skated Saturday as Toronto fell 6-3 to Colorado — a rough stretch for the Leafs, but Duhaime remains a physical presence on the wing.

Around the Rest of the Roster

Elsewhere, Maxwell Crozier had a quietly solid Saturday for Tampa Bay, picking up two assists and a plus-2 rating in a 5-3 Lightning win over the Islanders. Vincent Desharnais contributed an assist and a plus-2 for Washington in a 3-1 Capitals win over the Rangers on Friday. Noel Acciari and the Flyers dropped a tough one to Boston, with Acciari finishing minus-1 in a 5-1 loss.

Early days, but the Providence pipeline is already making its presence felt — with Hall and Jankowski headlining what's shaping up to be a deep and active alumni class across the NHL.