Ethen Frank
{{short description|American ice hockey player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox ice hockey player
| name = Ethen Frank
| image = 2023 AHL All-Star Classic Game - Ethen Frank (52673647946).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Frank at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game.
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|2|5}}
| birth_place = Denver, Colorado, USA
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lbs = 178
| position = Right wing
| shoots = Right
| league = NHL
| team = Washington Capitals
| prospect_team =
| prospect_league = AHL
| former_teams =
| ntl_team =
| draft = Undrafted
| draft_year =
| draft_team =
| career_start = 2022
| career_end =
}}
Ethen Frank (born February 5, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an All-American for Western Michigan in 2022.
Playing career
Frank spent several years playing junior hockey near his home town in the Omaha Lancers system. In his final year of 16-and-under play, he averaged more than two points per game in three separate leagues and made a brief appearance in the USHL. During his senior year in high school, Frank became a full-time member of the Lincoln Stars, playing against men who were 2- or 3-years older. He put up decent numbers that season but came into his own after graduating. He finished second on the team in both goals and points and ended his junior career by accepting a scholarship at Western Michigan.
Similar to what had occurred in the USHL, Frank took a while to get up to the speed of the NCAA game. He produced modest numbers as a freshman but rounded into form as a sophomore. Frank saw a bit of a regression during his junior season but both he and the Broncos suffered a terrible fate when the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|url=https://www.nchchockey.com/news_article/show/1094931|title=NCHC Tournament Cancelled Effective Immediately|website=nchchockey.com|date=March 12, 2020|accessdate=March 12, 2020|archive-date=March 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318132849/https://www.nchchockey.com/news_article/show/1094931|url-status=dead}} In what was supposed to be his fourth and final season with the program, Frank had to wait nearly two months to play his first game. When he did, however, he began scoring at an increased pace and ended up leading the team with 13 goals in just 24 games. Unfortunately, the team did not fare well during the strange year and finished 6th in the conference standings.
Because the NCAA had already announced that it would not count the 2021 season towards the 4-year limit for player eligibility, Frank was able to return for a 5th season with Western Michigan.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ncaa-approves-blanket-waiver-for-2020-fall-sports-athletes-to-retain-year-of-eligibility/ |title=NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility |work=CBS Sports |date=August 21, 2020 |accessdate=January 25, 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115173644/https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ncaa-approves-blanket-waiver-for-2020-fall-sports-athletes-to-retain-year-of-eligibility/ |url-status=live }} From the start of the season, everything seemed to align for WMU including the torrent of goals provided by Frank. He helped the Broncos put together an enviable record and ensure the team a spot in the NCAA tournament. He distinguished himself by leading the nation with 26 goals and was named an AHCA West Second Team All-American. Though the Broncos fell in the NCHC Championship game, reaching the conference final enabled Western Michigan to receive a #1 seed and a favorable draw in the regional semifinals. Frank's final collegiate point came on the game's opening goal which turned out to be vital for the Broncos as the game eventually went into overtime. Less than two minutes into the extra session, Frank was on the ice with the rest of the Broncos, celebrating the first NCAA tournament victory in program history.{{cite news|title=2015–16 WMU HOCKEY RECORD BOOK|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/wmich.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/7/27/4484709.pdf|work=Western Michigan Broncos|access-date=December 8, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He was able to parlay his collegiate success into a professional contract and signed with the Hershey Bears.{{cite web |url=https://wmubroncos.com/news/2022/4/11/mens-ice-hockey-ethen-frank-signs-with-the-ahls-hershey-bears.aspx |title=Ethen Frank Signs With the AHL's Hershey Bears |work=Wester Michigan Broncos |date=April 11, 2022 |accessdate=August 3, 2022 |archive-date=April 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411145138/https://wmubroncos.com/news/2022/4/11/mens-ice-hockey-ethen-frank-signs-with-the-ahls-hershey-bears.aspx |url-status=live }}
Frank set a new record for the "Fastest Skater" event during the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, achieving a time of 12.915, surpassing Connor McDavid's record of 13.310. His skates later went into the Hockey Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2023/02/05/hershey-bears-ethen-frank-sets-new-record-in-fastest-skater-event-at-2023-ahl-all-star-skills-competition/ |title=Hershey Bears' Ethen Frank sets new record in fastest skater event at 2023 AHL All-Star Skills Competition |date=February 5, 2023 |access-date=July 19, 2024 |archive-date=January 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111023557/https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2023/02/05/hershey-bears-ethen-frank-sets-new-record-in-fastest-skater-event-at-2023-ahl-all-star-skills-competition/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://novacapsfans.com/2023/03/31/ethen-franks-fastest-skates-go-to-hockey-hall-of-fame/ |title=Ethen Frank's "Fastest Skates" Go To Hockey Hall Of Fame |date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=July 19, 2024 }}
After leading both the Bears and all AHL rookies in goals during the 2022–23 season, Frank was signed to a one-year, two-way contract by the Washington Capitals on March 2, 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/capitals-sign-ethen-frank/c-341719380 |title=Capitals Sign Ethen Frank |website=Washington Capitals |date=March 2, 2023 |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302164427/https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/capitals-sign-ethen-frank/c-341719380 |url-status=live }}
On July 1, 2024, Frank, a restricted free agent, signed a two-year contract with the Capitals, worth $1.55 million. The first year of this is a two-way contract, while the second year will be one-way.https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/capitals-re-sign-mitchell-gibson-chase-priskie-and-ethen-frank#:~:text=The%20Washington%20Capitals%20have%20re,manager%20Brian%20MacLellan%20announced%20today {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701153341/https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/capitals-re-sign-mitchell-gibson-chase-priskie-and-ethen-frank#:~:text=The%20Washington%20Capitals%20have%20re,manager%20Brian%20MacLellan%20announced%20today |date=2024-07-01 }}.
On January 10, 2025, Frank made his NHL debut with the Capitals, tallying an assist in the 3–2 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens.{{Cite web |last=Kerr |first=Stephen |date=2025-01-11 |title=Former Lincoln Stars Forward Tallies First Point In NHL Debut |url=https://thehockeynews.com/ushl/players/former-lincoln-stars-forward-tallies-first-point-in-nhl-debut |access-date=2025-01-12 |website=The USHL News, Analysis, and More |language=en}} The next day, on January 11, 2025, Frank scored his first NHL goal in the Capitals' 4–1 victory over the Nashville Predators, with his goal being the game winner.{{Cite news |date=January 11, 2025 |title=Ethen Frank's first NHL goal is the winner as the Caps beat the Predators |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/01/11/capitals-predators-ethen-frank-alex-ovechkin/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 11, 2025 |work=The Washington Post}}
Career statistics
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em;" | ||||||||
| bgcolor="e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="ffffff"| ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Regular season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="ffffff"| ! colspan="5"|Playoffs | ||||||||
| bgcolor="e0e0e0"
! Season ! Team ! League ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | ||||||||
| 2014–15
| USHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2015–16 | Lincoln Stars | USHL | 48 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 4
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016–17
| Lincoln Stars | USHL | 55 | 18 | 23 | 41 | 77
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2017–18 | NCHC | 30 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 23
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2018–19
| Western Michigan | NCHC | 34 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 29
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2019–20 | Western Michigan | NCHC | 32 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 6
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21
| Western Michigan | NCHC | 24 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 4
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2021–22 | Western Michigan | NCHC | 38 | 26 | 13 | 39 | 34
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021–22
| AHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0
| — | — | — | — | — |
| bgcolor="f0f0f0"
| 2022–23 | Hershey Bears | AHL | 57 | 30 | 19 | 49 | 20
| 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2023–24
| Hershey Bears | AHL | 64 | 29 | 18 | 47 | 14
| 18 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 2 |
| bgcolor="e0e0e0"
! colspan="3"|AHL totals ! 126 !! 60 !! 37 !! 97 !! 34 ! 34 !! 12 !! 11 !! 23 !! 6 |
Awards and honors
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats|nhl=8483573|elite=247909|espn=|euro=|hr=|hockeydb=179667|legendsm=|legends=|legendstype=|tsn=}}
- {{AHL profile|9112}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frank, Ethen}}
Category:AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Category:American men's ice hockey centers
Category:Hershey Bears players
Category:Ice hockey people from Nebraska
Category:Lincoln Stars players
Category:People from Papillion, Nebraska
Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players
Category:Washington Capitals players