The Bruins are slowly but surely working their way down to just one big group.

Thursday saw the Bruins take a significant step on that front, with eight players in total assigned to Providence for the start of training camp for the P-Bruins. That group of eight, headlined by Luke Toporowski, ultimately featured six forwards, one defenseman (Ethan Ritchie), and sixth-string goaltender Shane Starrett.

But Friday came with another ’round’ of cuts for the Bruins, with two more players moved off Boston’s training camp roster ahead of the team’s preseason head-to-head with the Flyers at TD Garden.

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• At the pro level, the Bruins reassigned defenseman Ryan Mast down to Providence ahead of the opening of P-Bruins camp.

  The 6-foot-5 Mast skated in Boston’s preseason loss this past Tuesday in Buffalo, and recorded two blocked shots in 14:30 of time on ice. Mast was also whistled for the penalty that opened the door to Jeff Skinner’s game-opening goal in what ended as a 4-1 loss for the Bruins.

  A Michigan native, the 20-year-old Mast will officially begin his pro career in 2023-24 following what was a three-year run with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.

  Mast, a sixth-round pick in 2021, totaled 18 goals and 72 points in 168 OHL games.

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  BOSTON, MA – JUNE 24: Boston Bruins fans hold a giant flag with the Boston Logo on it prior Game Six of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden on June 24, 2013. (Elsa/Getty Images)

• Elsewhere on the backend, the Bruins returned Jackson Edward to the London Knights for another season in the Ontario Hockey League.

  Edward, who was drafted with a seventh-round selection in 2022 (No. 200 overall), did not appear in either one of Boston’s preseason tilts before his reassignment to the OHL.

  The 6-foot-2, 194-pound left shot will look to build off a 2022-23 campaign that saw him score five goals and 25 points, and post a plus-17 rating, in 65 games with the Knights. That offensive boost was a welcomed sight for a defenseman that’s more known for his physicality than his scoring touch.

• With Mast and Edward the latest cuts from camp, the Black and Gold’s training camp roster now features 15 defensemen.

  That list includes NHL mainstays Brandon Carlo, Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jakub Zboril.

  Beyond that group of seven, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, Mason Lohrei, Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Dan Renouf, Reilly Walsh, and Parker Wotherspoon remain in the mix for the B’s.

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