Trent Frederic looking to build on his first full season with Bruins

Trent Frederic’s rookie NHL season started out with much promise, especially for old school fans who loved his rough-and-tumble style of play reminiscent of so many Bruins of the past.

But somewhere along the way, it seemed Frederic and that promise ran smack into some sort of rookie wall that has afflicted many first-year players before him.

Still, Frederic, who signed a new two-year deal worth $1.02 million annually last week, believes there were things to build upon.

“I think it was a good year. I think I came out hot. I’m sure there’s points where I wasn’t as good of a player as I wanted to be and there’s times where I played well. I thought overall it was a good season,” said Frederic on Wednesday. “It was a bummer we came up short, but overall, it was a good season. What I need to work on is probably just my skating, more confidence with the puck. Making that right play with confidence, I guess.”

Frederic became an early fan favorite with his brash trash talk and his willingness to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Washington’s Tom Wilson.

But in the end, fewer and fewer teams were willing to engage physically with Frederic and the required level of production was not enough to keep him in the lineup, especially after an illness knocked him out of the lineup. During that time, the B’s acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar, creating a personnel logjam that kept him out of the playoffs. He finished with just four goals an assists, a minus-8 rating and 65 penalty minutes in 42 games.

Frederic’s potential is not yet clear. He could be an effective fourth liner or, if he can continue to work on his shot and skating, perhaps he could bump up to a third line role.

He looks at this past year as “getting his feet wet.”

“I think this was just the beginning for my hockey career, and I think I have a lot more to offer,” said Frederic. “Obviously, I was disappointed that we didn’t make it and that we’re not playing right now. Obviously, I wanted to help out as well. But everything happens for a reason and sometimes it’s out of your control and you just have to keep working hard and work for the next day.”

Frederic had contracted COVID during the layoff between the 2019-20 regular season and the bubble playoffs and he did not suffer severe symptoms. The illness he had during the season in April was not COVID, but he wasn’t sure what he had.

“I don’t know exactly. I had a fever. I think it was lower 100s for a couple days, so we don’t really know exactly what it was, but it wasn’t COVID. It was worse than when I had COVID, to be honest. But I know some people had COVID worse than others,” said Frederic.

Bruins renew ties to Maine Mariners

The Bruins officially announced that their new ECHL affiliation will be the Maine Mariners, who had most recently been connected with the New York Rangers. The B’s most recent ECHL affiliation was with the Atlanta Gladiators.

“The Bruins and Maine Mariners have a long player development history, as well as having a passionate fan base in Portland and throughout the state of Maine,” said Bruins GM Don Sweeney, who began his pro career with the Maine Mariners when the team was a part of the American Hockey League. “We are looking forward to building a strong working relationship with Comcast Spectacor, (team president) Daniel Briere, and the coaching staff of the Mariners.”

Three Boston teams have minor league affiliates based in Portland with the Sea Dogs (Red Sox), the Maine Celtics and now the Mariners.

“We are extremely excited to be affiliated with the Bruins organization and we’re proud to solidify the Boston-Portland connection with all three of Maine’s professional sports franchises,” said Briere. “We can’t wait to bring live hockey action back to Portland this fall, and we know that Mariners fans will be thrilled to watch players from the Bruins organization playing right here in Maine.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3y1KKqS