SUNDAY FEATURE: Swayman Starts Season, Career on Right Foot with Providence

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MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - Jeremy Swayman hasn't seemed to have skipped a beat since joining the professional ranks.

Swayman's college career ended suddenly last March as Maine's starting goalie. A junior, the Anchorage, Alaska native was in the midst of an impressive season that saw the netminder earn a 2.07 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in 34 games played with the Black Bears.

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all NCAA sports, Swayman ultimately decided to forego his senior season when he signed his entry-level contract with the Bruins on March 18.

Little did the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder know at the time that his next game between the pipes would be nearly a year after he put pen to paper.

“You know I don't think there's a perfect answer for that,” Swayman said when asked how he prepared for this unique season. “I think the best way I can explain it is just I took every day one day at a time. I was making sure that I was doing whatever I could to prepare myself for when the season did start."

“I'm so happy that it's here now and I couldn't be happier to be here in Providence with a great team, a great organization,” Swayman continued.

In December, Swayman had to shake off the rust quickly as he was invited to join the Bruins' NHL preseason camp where he faced off against the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy.

Once Providence's season came around, Swayman could feel the excitement from his now-teammates with games on the horizon.

“It was a really great environment to be around, guys were just excited to be back and of course I was one of those guys too,” Swayman said. “Just being around new faces, a team, an organization, we were extremely happy to be here, and I think everyone took advantage of that and continue to do that every day.”

Swayman got the nod during Providence's season-opener against Bridgeport on February 5 and allowed just one goal in his pro debut, a 4-1 Providence win.

Eight days later, another game and another win for Swayman, this time a 17-save performance in a 5-3 win versus the Sound Tigers.

“I think the biggest thing so far is the speed,” Swayman said on differences he's noticed between the college and pro level. “There's a lot of speed in college, but the speed and skill in the pro game is definitely relevant."

“I think it was really cool to see how fast these guys understood the breakout and then seeing it in the game, I kind of just took a moment and stepped back and said, 'holy cow, these guys are so good,'” Swayman continued.

Sporting a 2.00 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage, Swayman has done just about everything right in the short time he's been a first-year pro.

The former 111th overall selection in the 2017 Draft also credits fellow puck-stopper Dan Vladar for making his transition even smoother.

“He's great, I've gotten to get to know him over some years at Development Camp and stuff and finally being in the locker room with him, it's been really fun,” Swayman said.  “Everyone loves him and of course I do too. It's great to have a goalie partner that you can really talk with and learn from. I think he's a great goalie partner and we both want what's best for the team and it's a really good environment to be around."

The veteran among the duo, Vladar enters his fifth pro season after being drafted in the third round in the 2015 draft.

With two months to go in No. 1's rookie year, a lot can happen, especially while playing during a global pandemic. Luckily for Swayman, goalies know a thing or two about developing mental toughness.

“It's so good to have kind of a goalie mindset going into a season like this I think,” Swayman said. “Making sure that I'm controlling what I can control, because truthfully that's all we can do in today's pandemic and what not.