The most prolific goal scorer in all of college hockey has found a home to ply his trade next season, signing an AHL contract with the Hershey Bears. Ethen Frank will join the Bears on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season as well, after finishing his final season of eligibility with Western Michigan University.
Frank, 24, tickled the twine 26 times this season for the Broncos, edging past Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough for tops in the country. The undrafted forward leaves college with 70 goals over his 158-game career, an impressive accomplishment regardless of competition. He’ll now try to take that production to the professional level, joining one of the strongest programs in the entire AHL. The Bears, though not in a dominant position this season, are one of the most stable development outfits in the minor leagues and should give him a good opportunity to try and prove his worth.
It’s not an entry-level contract, but Frank will at least be in front of Washington Capitals evaluators on a regular basis. Perhaps he can parlay this AHL contract into an NHL deal down the road, with the Capitals or someone else. For now, the focus will have to be on finding the back of the net at the next level.