Frank will make his NHL debut for the Capitals on Friday against the Montreal Canadiens.
Ethen Frank didn't have the words to describe what Friday has felt like, as after years of waiting and paying his dues, he earned his first NHL call-up on Friday and is set to make his debut for the Washington Capitals.
"It's been nothing but pure joy and happiness for me so far," Frank said after morning skate.
It's been a long, winding road for the 26-year-old, who went undrafted and worked his way up the ranks to get a pro deal from the Hershey Bears. From there, he busted out onto the scene as a 20-goal guy, and following a record-setting "Fastest Skater" performance at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, he earned an NHL contract from Washington.
Despite strong play in the AHL over the past few seasons, the time hadn't been right for a call-up. Then, going into this year, there was an extra spot available up front, but a disappointing preseason showing led to Frank being cut and sent back to Hershey.
"I was upset i didn't play the way I thought I should have or hoped I would have anyway, so just kind of using that fuel," Frank said. "Just tryingt o be better and work my way back up."
Before going back down, Frank and coach Spencer Carbery had a "good, open conversation" about his struggles and what he needed to improve on, and Frank did just that.
In 35 games for the Bears this season, Frank has racked up 20 goals, good for the second-most in the AHL, while adding eight assists.
"You can be disappointed for a day, a few hours, but then you've got to switch your mindset to problem solving. 'How am I going to get back there? How am I going to earn an opportunity?' And that's exactly what he did," Carbery said. "He went down there, he worked on the areas that we communicated to him.
"Excited for him. It's been a long road... he's done a lot of great things in this organization, had a tremendous start to his professional career in Hershey. Earned every second of his moment tonight, so real happy for him."
Frank will play alongside Taylor Raddysh and Lars Eller on Firday as Washington looks for him to bring his speed and scoring prowess to the table.
At the end of the day, though, the young forward wants to keep things simple.
"Everything's important and just playing smart, playing hard every shift no matter what happens," Frank said, adding, "We're players working our way our whole lives up to this league and this level of hockey. It means a lot, but it's just a hockey game. I've been playing my whole life, so just going to (go) out and play fast and play hard."