Not everyone’s path to the NHL is a straight one. Most players enter the NHL Draft and begin their journey to the main stage from there. Some players don’t get drafted and end up signing with a team from different leagues around the world. For Washington Capital Ethen Frank, his path to the NHL was different.
Originally, Frank wanted nothing to do with ice hockey. In a piece written by Sammi Sibler, Frank said that as a kid, he didn’t like the constant delays from offsides and icing and that he would rather play roller hockey. To him, it wasn’t as fast-paced, and it was easier to control the puck. Eventually, one of his friends convinced him to translate his roller hockey skills to the ice, and it all took off from there.
Hockey in the Cornhusker State (2012-2017)
Frank was born in Papillion, Nebraska and started his professional hockey career, where his statistics were tracked, with the Omaha AAA Lancers 16U team. He played from 2012 to 2015 with the Lancers while bouncing around a few leagues within the system during the 2014-15 season. In a combined 107 games, he recorded 90 goals and 94 assists. His most impressive campaign came in the 2014-15 season where he put up 45 goals and 47 assists in 44 games. This led him to play for the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
It was a tough first season in Lincoln for Frank as he registered 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 48 games. After lighting up the scoresheet with his previous team a season prior, this was a wake-up call for the young forward. He worked hard to improve for the following season and it paid off. He scored 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) in 55 games, which was a major improvement that made enough of an impact to catch the attention of Western Michigan University.
Western Michigan University (2017-2022)
In his first three years with the Broncos, Frank scored 58 points (31 goals, 27 assists) in 96 games. Before the 2020-21 season, he was named an alternate captain and from there his play skyrocketed. In his first season wearing the “A,” he put up 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in 24 games. He was known to be more of a goalscorer than a setup man, which became clear during his final year. In 38 games, he scored 26 goals and 39 points. He led his team in goals and shots among other stat categories. Best of all, he led Western Michigan in game-winning goals and scored 18.4% of the time. This would be, roughly, a goal for every five shots. On top of this, his 26 goals led the NCAA in the 2021-22 season.
The first half of his final season was spectacular as he lit the lamp 17 times in 19 games, with his biggest game occurring on Nov. 19 against St. Cloud State. He scored four goals and notched an assist in a 6-2 win on the road. Frank completed the natural hat trick in the third period by scoring a power-play goal to make it 4-0. Later in the third, he iced the game with an empty-net goal.
That season, the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed in their conference and punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament. The Broncos won their first NCAA tournament game in program history after defeating Northeastern University 2-1 in overtime. Frank assisted on the opening goal of the game.
In the next round, they lost to Minnesota 3-0, ending their run and Frank’s college hockey days. However, this wasn’t the end of his professional hockey career as his impressive season caught the attention of the Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Washington Capitals.
Signing With the Hershey Bears (2022-2025)
The Hershey Bears signed Frank to an AHL contract during the 2021-22 season. He played five games and scored his first goal on April 22, 2022, against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In his first full season the following year, he scored 30 goals and 49 points in 57 games and was selected for his first AHL All-Star Game.
The Papillion native made a name for himself as a goalscorer for the Bears and speed was a big part of his game. He was able to put it on display during the 2023 AHL Fastest Skater competition. The former WMU Bronco shattered Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid’s fastest lap record of 13.310 seconds by skating a lap in 12.915 seconds, marking the first time, ever, that a player had a sub-13 second lap.
In the 2023-24 season, Frank continued to show the league that he was a reliable goalscorer. He potted 29 goals and 47 points, just under the 50-point mark again, but showed consistency with his ability to score goals for the Bears. He also earned his second consecutive All-Star selection. In the two full seasons he played with the Bears they went on to win the Calder Cup, the Stanley Cup equivalent in the AHL.
Called Up to the Washington Capitals (2025-Present)
Frank was off to a similar start in the 2024-25 season with 20 goals in 35 games. However, the Bears’ season continued without him because he got the call on Jan. 10 and made his NHL debut for the Capitals against the Montreal Canadiens. Despite losing in overtime, he recorded his first NHL point after assisting on a goal by Capitals forward Lars Eller that tied the game at two.
Wasting no time, he scored his first NHL goal the following night in Nashville against the Predators.
Since his call-up to the NHL, the Capitals are 6-1-1. As he continues to learn the ebbs and flows of the NHL and to utilize his best weapons, which are his speed and wrist shot, he has the potential to become a 30 to 40-goal scorer much like he was in the AHL. With the Capitals, he is positioned on the right wing on the third offensive line with Eller at center and Taylor Raddysh on the left wing.
In the NHL, there are many players who go undrafted and still make it. While it is common for international players to sign with teams and not be drafted, it was less likely for that to be the case with American-born players, especially Nebraskans. However, there are many cases in which this doesn’t matter. Coming from a highly competitive hockey state in Massachusetts, Anaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano wasn’t drafted in 2010, but caught the attention of the Boston Bruins and signed as a free agent.
Frank broke into the NHL at the right time as he will be hitting his prime at 26 years old. On a Capitals team that is looking to reclaim their top-dog status in the East, he has a high potential to be a major contributing factor to their success.
