Bruins extend Simon Zajicek, keep Providence goaltending depth intact
Boston kept Simon Zajicek in the fold with a one-year extension, preserving a Providence goalie tandem that powered the AHL’s top regular-season team.
Boston kept Simon Zajicek in the fold with a one-year, two-way contract extension through the 2026-27 season, locking in a goalie who already gave Providence a useful mix of size, experience and stability. The 24-year-old Czech netminder carries an NHL cap hit of $850,000 after appearing in 21 games for the Bruins’ AHL affiliate last season.
Zajicek’s numbers explained why Boston wanted to keep the arrangement intact. He went 14-6-1 for Providence in 2025-26 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage, production that gave the Bruins another reliable option in a position group that can swing an affiliate’s entire season. Listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and a left catcher, Zajicek brought a pro resume from HC Litvinov, where he played 90 career games in Czech Extraliga from 2019-25 and posted a 36-48-0 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.
The extension also shows Boston is choosing continuity in a part of the organization that has become a real strength. Providence won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL’s overall regular-season champion in 2025-26, finishing 54-14-2-0 with 110 points under fifth-year head coach Ryan Mougenel. That kind of season does not happen without dependable goaltending, and it came with Michael DiPietro winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s outstanding goaltender for the second straight year.
Boston’s decision fits the path it already mapped out for Zajicek. The Bruins signed him on May 19, 2025 to a one-year entry-level contract with an NHL cap hit of $872,500, then watched him settle into a role in Providence as the club surged to a 19-5-1-0 start and later finished as the league’s best team. Zajicek and DiPietro were described by Mougenel as “fantastic with each other,” with DiPietro doing “a real good job of mentoring,” a pairing that gives Providence both immediate stability and a development structure that can absorb injuries, call-ups and NHL roster churn without forcing Boston to scramble for goaltending help.
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