Ethen Frank got his name on the scoresheet in his first career NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens, Friday.
Frank’s milestone point came courtesy of his signature swift skating. Flying down the ice at a max speed of 23 MPH, the two-time winner of the AHL’s fastest skater competition negated an icing behind Montreal’s net. After dangling around Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj, Frank found Lars Eller with a beautiful backhand pass at the right circle. Eller’s snap shot beat Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobeš 1:54 into the third period, tying the game at two and giving the Danish centerman his eighth goal of the season.
Frank’s assist came despite being surrounded by four different Canadiens players.
“Are you serious, dude,” Protas, a fellow member of Hershey’s 2023 Calder Cup championship team, said at the bench while mic’d up for Monumental Sports Network.
As Jakob Chychrun handed over the forward’s milestone puck to a Capitals trainer, another of Frank’s former teammates in Hershey, Connor McMichael, congratulated him on his job well done. Protas also reached over to pat Frank on the top of his head in “a beary special moment.”
The good vibes continued when Wes Johnson announced Eller’s goal over the PA. When Frank heard his name, he looked up at the jumbotron and smiled, appearing to let the moment truly sink in.
Frank was joined at Capital One Arena by “a small army of seven or eight” loved ones who made the trip to see him play. His dad, Dave, mom, Michelle, sister, Kayla, and girlfriend, Kaitlin, were all in attendance and beaming after Frank became the 40th Capitals’ player ever to register a point in their debut.
“It was good to get my feet wet,” Frank said postgame. “Obviously, a little bit better performance individually than preseason, so I’m happy that I was able to help contribute offensively. I think I can just build off of that, and that’s a nice stepping stone for me.
“I was thinking on the ice about what my feelings were and how I was feeling, and it’s not fulfillment because I’m still hungry for more, but that was the only word that came to mind,” he added. “I feel like all the work I’ve done finally paid off, so that was a good feeling.”
Frank is better known for his goal-scoring ability in the AHL, where he has scored 79 goals in his last 156 games for the Hershey Bears. In a matchup where Washington struggled to create offense, Frank’s assist ultimately earned the Caps a standings point, as the two teams made it through the rest of the third period without another goal.
“Loved [his game],” head coach Spencer Carbery said. “I thought he was arguably our best player on the ice. He has a positive impact; he’s the reason we get that game tied. I thought he was fantastic.”
Per the Capitals, Frank is the first player to tally a point in his debut since Vincent Iorio did so on March 4, 2023, against the San Jose Sharks. The winger posed with his milestone puck in the Capitals’ locker room.
Frank skated on Washington’s third line with Eller and Taylor Raddysh, seeing 10:29 of total ice time. He did not record a shot on goal, threw two hits, and took a two-minute minor penalty for tripping in the eventual 3-2 overtime loss.
The Nebraska native will likely get another sweater in Washington’s game against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.