Kaleigh Fratkin isn't wearing a letter on her shirt with PWHL Boston, but she's quietly serving as a veteran leader for PWHL Boston this season.
Kaleigh Fratkin isn't wearing a letter on her shirt with PWHL Boston, but she's quietly serving as a veteran leader for PWHL Boston this season.
Four years at Boston University, six seasons in the NWHL, two stints in the PHF, and now a member of PWHL Boston.
Kaleigh Fratkin is a seasoned pro. With nine years of professional hockey under her belt, Fratkin has just about been through it all.
She’s a two-time Isobel Cup Champion, a PHF All-Star, and a silver medalist representing Canada in the U-18 World Championship—but it’s not the accolades she’s chasing at this point in her career. As the women’s professional hockey landscape evolved throughout the years, she changed with it, learning invaluable lessons along the way.
It’s now Fratkin’s goal to pass along her knowledge to the next generation of stars, including a pair of teammates who have used her leadership to drive them to where they are today on PWHL Boston.
“I remember what it was like,” said Fratkin. “I remember what it was like to go through all of that, so I just try to be a resource and someone that is able to relate to all of them.”
When now teammates Loren Gabel and Taylor Wenczkowski walked into the locker room for the first time as members of the Boston Pride, Fratkin took them under her wing. And now reunited in the PWHL, she’s seen her mentorship come to life.
“[Fratkin’s] a great leader both on and off the ice,” said Gabel. “She definitely took the reign, and obviously, she was an assistant captain, so she was a part of the leadership group. [She was] welcoming and made me excited to go to the rink every day.”
Fratkin played six seasons with the Pride, sporting the “A” across her chest for four of those seasons. She was part of a leadership group with McKenna Brand and Jillian Dempsey, who made it their goal to make the Pride a welcoming environment for all.
“That was something that we emphasized as a group, was making those younger players feel welcomed, and make them feel comfortable making that transition from the college level to the pro level,” said Fratkin. “Because it’s a big leap."
“The Pride was a great experience,” said Wenczkowski. “It was a lot of good hockey, and having the opportunity to stay here in Boston has been awesome. Hockey is even better now, but playing for the Pride the last three years definitely helped elevate my game to come into this new league and play with this type of caliber of players…It’s great to see familiar faces and to be able to play with them for another year."
“It’s nice to obviously have them here,” said Gabel of her former and current teammates. “A new setting and a new team, it’s great to know a few faces. They’re great players, and I’m happy to be a part of their team again this year.”
When Gabel and Wenczkowski arrived at the professional scene, Fratkin couldn’t help but see herself in their shoes. It’s a completely different lifestyle than college hockey, calling for an increased level of responsibility from taking care of your body to developing a routine.
“I had to figure out a lot on my own just because the landscape of women’s pro hockey was different at the time,” said Fratkin. “I had to figure out what it truly meant to be a pro. How to treat your body, you’re game schedule.”
It’s safe to say her leadership paid dividends. Gabel leads Boston in scoring (three) and is second on the team in points (five), while Wenczkowski is beginning to acclimate herself with the forward group.
“It’s been awesome to see how her professionalism and professional career is developing both on and off the ice,” Fratkin said of Gabel. “She was definitely a very quiet kid when she came into the locker room, and she’s still pretty quiet and kind of keeps to herself, but now that I know her on a different level after playing with her she comes out of her shell.
“It definitely made it a lot easier,” Gabel said of being reunited with Fratkin. “Sharing training camp and now, we have a really great team, and everyone has been super welcoming.
“It’s been awesome, kind of the time of my life,” added Wenczkowski. “It’s been awesome. Hockey is definitely fun again, so it’s really cool to just step on the ice with a great group of people and great hockey players every day.”
And while Fratkin isn’t a part of the official leadership group in Boston this season, it hasn’t stopped her from continuing to lend her knowledge and be a role model for the young players trying to find their footing in a new chapter of their hockey story.
“As I’ve gotten later into my career at the pro level, helping the younger kids has always been something that’s been something I’ve known to be important,” said Fratkin. “Sometimes, I have to take a step back and be like, a lot of these kids are starting out. They’re trying to navigate through what it all means. It’s a lot at once, it really is.”