The Washington Capitals recalled Ethen Frank on January 10, marking his first stint in the NHL since signing with the organization at the end of the 2021-22 season. Since then, he has scored three goals in his first seven NHL games.
Frank’s three goals are tied with Alex Ovechkin for the most on the team since the 26-year-old winger debuted against the Montreal Canadiens. The Nebraska native’s latest marker came on a breakaway chance against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.
The goal was a pivotal insurance tally that helped cap off a great night from a third line that has produced great results since Frank’s arrival.
“That’s a huge goal,” head coach Spencer Carbery said postgame. “Franky, to stay with that puck, [Daccord] makes the initial save. He stays with it to get us up 2-0 going into the break. I think it was a big moment in the game for us to just have a little bit of comfort and then able to carry that momentum over into the third.”
Frank, Lars Eller, and Taylor Raddysh have played together for 53:40 of five-on-five ice time and seen 60.3 percent of shot attempts, 63.9 percent of expected goals, 56.7 percent of scoring chances, and 69.6 percent of high-danger chances during those minutes. They’ve outscored their opposition 3-1.
The instant offense that Frank has provided Washington leaves the Capitals with an interesting decision as they wrap up their current five-game road trip. If Frank plays in the remaining three games against the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators, he will reach 10 NHL games this season.
The Capitals waived Frank during the preseason but would require waivers again to return to the AHL’s Hershey Bears once he hits that 10-game mark. NHL rules state that once a team waives you, you are exempt from going on waivers again until you play 10 or more cumulative NHL games or spend 30 cumulative days on an NHL roster.
Washington experienced a similar situation with Mike Sgarbossa last year. Sgarbossa ultimately stayed with the team through the back half of their schedule and their short playoff run. However, since he never returned to Hershey before the March 8 trade deadline, he was ineligible to play in the 2024 AHL postseason. The same will be true for Frank with the 2025 AHL playoffs if he never returns to Hershey before this year’s March 7 trade deadline.
Hershey’s Alex Limoges was tapped to replace Frank at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic on Friday afternoon, signaling that Frank is likely to repeat Sgarbossa’s path.
The Bears have survived well without their leading goal scorer so far. In the five games they’ve played without him, Hershey is 4-0-1, including two wins over the Charlotte Checkers, their closest competition in the Atlantic Division.
