B’s Frederic aims for ‘scrapper’ role
With the NHL and the Players’ Association apparently inching their way to the Return to Play finish line, some players around the league have been returning to teams’ cities in order to fulfill their quarantine and testing protocols so they can be ready for a presumed early January training camp.
One of those players is Bruin hopeful Trent Frederic, who arrived in Boston from his native St. Louis last week. Speaking on Monday, he was halfway through his requirements of an eight-day quarantine and four negative tests to be administered every other day.
Frederic came east early so that he would not only be here in time for training camp, but so he’d get the quarantine out of the way and he can ramp up his training prior to camp. This could be a big camp for the 22-year-old Frederic, the B’s first-round draft pick in 2016 (29th overall), and he wants to be ready.
Unfortunately for Frederic, that was not the case last summer when the team convened for a brief training camp before heading to the Toronto playoff bubble. Frederic had contracted COVID-19 before coming to Boston and, though his chances of cracking the Presidents’ Trophy-winning lineup would have been slim in the best of circumstances, he was not able to practice with the team for the first few days of the camp, all but sealing his fate to be watching the games from the Scotiabank Arena stands.
In his brief battle with the virus, Frederic said he lost his senses of taste and smell and felt “crummy” for a day. He was more concerned for the people around him.
“But I was lucky” said Frederic. “I was at a family party the day before I found out I had it but I was fortunate that no one around me got it. I called around to everyone. I don’t know exactly when I got it, but the good thing is that I didn’t spread it to the people around me.”
Said Frederic of his bout with the potentially deadly virus: “It didn’t necessarily scare me, but I know people around me had tougher times dealing with it. But I was more frustrated on the timing of getting it.”
Frederic is hoping that now his timing is right. With the acquisition of Craig Smith, the B’s will be pretty deep at forward when everyone is healthy, especially on the right side. But with the departure of Joakim Nordstrom, the door could be ajar for a bottom-six left-handed shot.
That could be especially true for a big, physical player like Frederic. In a quest to get bigger and nastier, the B’s obtained Nick Ritchie for Danton Heinen at the deadline. While the production was neither all good nor all bad, Ritchie no doubt will get a longer look in the upcoming season, expected to start in mid-January. But, while Anders Bjork will be in the competitive mix on the left side as well, the B’s could still use another addition in the beef department.
And Frederic is a rambunctious one. While compiling 8-24-32 totals in 59 games, Frederic led the Providence Bruins with 148 penalty minutes, which including eight fights. That’s up from 67 PIMs in 55 games in his first pro season.
The University of Wisconsin product, who also benefits from being able to play both center and wing, said it was not a conscious decision to become more of a scrapper, but rather a natural progression.
“I think it was just the more comfortable I got with the pro game, because I’d always played with a cage pretty much my whole life,” said Frederic. “It took me a little bit. I think the only time I didn’t wear one before pro was in World Juniors. So it’s just the game I play and it’s just the nature of myself. I think I started doing it a little bit more in my first year too.”
He’s also learning what it takes to be a pro off the ice as well. These days, when he sees a Jimmy John’s or Pot Bellies, he keeps right on walking.
“Before when I played in college and junior, I trained hard and all that stuff, but probably my eating was like a normal 18-year-old kid. I didn’t care what I ate, honestly,” said Frederic. “And I think the way I started training, doing more mobility-related stuff, is something else I’ve been doing. Hopefully I’ll be less prone to getting injuries and stuff. I’ve been doing that before and after skates in workouts.”
Prior to returning to Boston, Frederic had been working out n St. Louis with trainer Jeff LoVecchio four times a week and skating three times, with some skill sessions mixed in as well.
Frederic hopes his work has put him in good position to compete for a spot.
“I’m pretty excited,” said Frederic. “And probably like everyone else, I’m just excited to play hockey and get back in the mix again.”