screen cap: Youtube
Washington Capitals forward prospect Ethen Frank became hockey’s fastest human back on February 5 when he shocked the world by skating a sub-13 second time in the fastest skater competition at the 2023 AHL All-Star weekend. He not only won the contest, but he set a new all-time record for the AHL and NHL.
Rookie Ethen Frank leads the Bears in goals (21) and is second in points (37)… AND HE CAN FLY! #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/ctdeTcynvF
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) February 5, 2023
“It means a lot. I’ve been putting in a lot of hard work, so it’s nice to get a little recognition,” Frank told Bears Radio the following week.
The skates he donned to win the contest were donated to the Hockey Hall-of-Fame on Wednesday. Frank and the Bears made a stop at the Hall following Wednesday’s 3-1 matinee win over the Marlies in Toronto.
ICYMI, here’s the @fox43 story on @TheHersheyBears donating a pair of historic items to @HockeyHallFame including skates from @efrank_98 after his record breaking lap at @TheAHL skills competition! @FOX43Sports #hockey https://t.co/s6HSONZNx3 pic.twitter.com/GxquifATQ2
— Todd Sadowski (@ToddFox43) March 31, 2023
“They had an after party after the skills and I ended up talking to a guy there, and he said someone would come talk to me tomorrow. Sure enough, I got someone’s card and he emailed him right away, obviously, because you wouldn’t want to not do it right,” Frank laughed.
“Then we kind of started talking and I was going to ship them originally but then they said, ‘You are coming to Toronto, you might as well drop them off yourself,'” Frank explained to Fox43.
“It’s pretty honoring and pretty cool so I said absolutely I can’t wait, now we’re here, and I don’t even have any words for it.”
Frank signed an NHL deal with the Capitals on March 2. He has played this season on an AHL-only deal, and thus intelligible for a call-up to the Capitals. He will be eligible for the Capitals roster starting next season.
“He’s had a really good year,” said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. “We signed him as a college free agent, looking to see how we could develop him, or how he would play in the American League. Obviously, he’s had a great year scoring goals, an (AHL) All-Star. I think it was a ‘no brainer’ to sign him to an NHL deal and then go from there for next year. See how he is in training camp and make decisions based on that.”
Also on Wednesday, the Bears Vice President of Hockey Operations Bryan Helmer hand delivered the Henri Fontaine Trophy to the Hall of Fame in Toronto.
We knew this trophy existed, had no idea where it was,” explained Hockey Hall of Fame Vice President Phil Pritchard to Fox43.
The Bears reached out to Pritchard and the Hall of Fame nine months ago about the trophy. With an upcoming game in Toronto against the Marlies on Wednesday, they decided that would be the perfect time to donate the trophy in-person.
“Fast forward nine months and here we are today, we’ve got the Henri Fontaine Trophy, which is arguably the oldest trophy in minor pro hockey league history, and to add it to our collection today, we’re thrilled,” Pritchard said with a smile.
The trophy was awarded from 1926 to 1936 to the championship team in the Canadian American or Can-Am league that preceded the AHL. Pritchard says the trophy is priceless when it comes to it’s value for hockey history. It will be displayed in the new acquisitions section of the Hall before it is moved to the North America Championship Trophy case.
September can’t come fast enough. Can’t wait to see what he does in training camp.
I hope that doesn’t hinder Frank’s performance in the playoffs. I guess he’s not as superstitious as some.
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