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Ethen Frank
Frank at the 2023 AHL All-Star Game.
Born (1998-02-05) February 5, 1998 (age 26)
Papillion, Nebraska, USA
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Washington Capitals
Hershey Bears (AHL)
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2022–present

Ethen Frank (born February 5, 1998) is an American professional ice hockey center for the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL), while under contract to the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was an All-American for Western Michigan in 2022.[1]

Playing career

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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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] He was able to parlay his collegiate success into a professional contract and signed with the Hershey Bears.[5]

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.[6][7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2014–15 Lincoln Stars USHL 3 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
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 — — — — —
2017–18 Western Michigan NCHC 30 7 5 12 23 — — — — —
2018–19 Western Michigan NCHC 34 15 11 26 29 — — — — —
2019–20 Western Michigan NCHC 32 9 11 20 6 — — — — —
2020–21 Western Michigan NCHC 24 13 8 21 4 — — — — —
2021–22 Western Michigan NCHC 38 26 13 39 34 — — — — —
2021–22 Hershey Bears AHL 5 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
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
AHL totals 126 60 37 97 34 34 12 11 23 6

Awards and honors

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Award Year
College
All-NCHC First Team 2021–22 [10]
AHCA West Second Team All-American 2021–22 [1]
AHL
All-Rookie Team 2023 [11]
Calder Cup 2023, 2024 [12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  2. ^ "NCHC Tournament Cancelled Effective Immediately". nchchockey.com. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "2015-16 WMU HOCKEY RECORD BOOK" (PDF). Western Michigan Broncos. Retrieved December 8, 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Ethen Frank Signs With the AHL's Hershey Bears". Wester Michigan Broncos. April 11, 2022. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hershey Bears' Ethen Frank sets new record in fastest skater event at 2023 AHL All-Star Skills Competition". February 5, 2023. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "Ethen Frank's "Fastest Skates" Go To Hockey Hall Of Fame". March 31, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Capitals Sign Ethen Frank". Washington Capitals. March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  9. ^ 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 Archived 2024-07-01 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ "Five Different Teams Represented on All-NCHC First Team". NCHC. March 9, 2022. Archived from the original on March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "2022-23 AHL All-Rookie Team named". theahl.com. April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  12. ^ "Sweeter by the dozen: Hershey wins 12th Calder Cup". American Hockey League. June 21, 2023. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  13. ^ "It Bears repeating: Hershey wins Calder Cup again". American Hockey League. June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
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