Cruickshank seemed to prove the Bruins' scouts correct when he nearly tripled his point production and took over as the top offensive threat for the Friars.
He was 23 goals better than the next highest teammate and was named to the second All-Conference team despite Providence finishing 10 games below .500.
He demonstrated the scoring touch he had in Providence and was assigned to Maine at the start of the season but he found it difficult to get into the lineup.
The next season, Cruickshank was one of the top goal-scorers for the Johnstown Chiefs, finishing eighth in the league with 44 markers.
Despite the performance, Cruickshank was not called up and spent his third year as a professional bouncing between three teams before retiring from hockey.