Byron Froese (born March 12, 1991) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player for

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Hockey Club Lokomotiv (, ), also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a professional ice hockey club based in Yaroslavl, Russia. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The name of the team is derived from its ...

of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

(KHL). Froese was selected in the fourth round, 119th overall, by

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Froese has previously played for

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the ...

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

and

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL).

Playing career

On May 31, 2011, the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL signed Froese to a three-year entry-level contract. He split the majority of his contract between affiliates, the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

and the

Toledo Walleye The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the ECHL. The Walleye were founded in 1991 as the Toledo Storm and play their home games ...

of the ECHL. In the final year of his entry-level deal with the Blackhawks in the 2013–14 season, he was reassigned from the IceHogs to Cincinnati Cyclones, where he largely contributed to their

Kelly Cup The Patrick J. Kelly Cup goes to the playoff champion of the ECHL. The Kelly Cup has been awarded to teams since 1997. Prior to 1997, the playoff winner was awarded the Riley Cup, named after former American Hockey League president Jack Riley. Th ...

final appearance with 25 points in 23 games. As a free agent from the Blackhawks, Froese opted to remain with the Cyclones, signing a one-year deal on August 14, 2014. The Cyclones loaned Froese to the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was so ...

to begin the 2014–15 season. After he was returned to Cincinnati, he was later loaned to the Toronto Marlies. In a successful stint with the Marlies, Froese was signed for the remainder of the season by the Marlies on January 7, 2015. On July 3, 2015, Froese was signed by the Marlies parent affiliate, Toronto Maple Leafs, to a two-year contract. Early into the 2015–16 season, Froese received his first recall from the Marlies to the NHL on October 23, 2015. On the following day, Froese made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in a 5-3 defeat to the

. On December 19, 2015, Froese scored his first NHL goal against the Kings. Froese would finish the season with just 5 points in 56 games, but he earned high praise from both coach

Mike Babcock Mike Babcock (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Mighty Duck ...

and the media for his great defensive play. In the 2016–17 season, on February 27, 2017, Froese was traded by the Maple Leafs to the

along with a conditional second round draft choice in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

in exchange for centre Brian Boyle. On July 1, 2017, having left the Lightning as a free agent, Froese agreed to a two-year contract with Montreal Canadiens, with the final season of his deal played on a one-way basis. In the 2017–18 season, Froese was initially assigned to inaugural AHL affiliate, the

Laval Rocket The Laval Rocket () are a professional ice hockey team based in Laval, Quebec. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) and Trois-Rivières Lions of the ECHL. The Rocket play ...

. As

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the Rocket, he appeared in just 13 games with the club before he was recalled to the Canadiens on November 8, 2017. On December 22, 2017, Froese scored his first goal with the Canadiens against the

. Froese played out the remainder of the season with the Canadiens, notching career NHL highs with 3 goals and 11 points in 46 games. In the following 2018–19 season, Froese was re-assigned to the Rocket and selected as

. He scored 30 points through 46 games for the Rocket before he was traded by the Canadiens, alongside David Schlemko, to the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

in exchange for Dale Weise and Christian Folin on February 9, 2019. On July 1, 2019, Froese signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Calgary Flames. On July 13, 2022, Froese signed as a free agent to a two-year, two-way contract with the

. At the end his contracted tenure with the Golden Knights, Froese left as a free agent and signed his first contract abroad by agreeing to a one-year contract with Russian club,

of the

KHL The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

, on July 15, 2024. On May 21, 2025, Lokomotiv, with Froese in the lineup, defeated

Traktor Chelyabinsk Traktor Chelyabinsk, also known as Traktor, or HC Traktor Chelyabinsk, () is a professional ice hockey club based in Chelyabinsk, Russia. It is a member of the Kharlamov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). From 1967 to 2009, the te ...

four games to one in the championship series and became the

Gagarin Cup The Gagarin Cup () is the trophy presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, and is named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. The Cup was supposedly named after Gagarin because the last po ...

winner - for the first time in the club's history.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Froese, Byron 1991 births Living people Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey centres Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Everett Silvertips players Henderson Silver Knights players Ice hockey people from Manitoba Laval Rocket players Lehigh Valley Phantoms players Montreal Canadiens players Red Deer Rebels players Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players San Antonio Rampage players Sportspeople from Winkler, Manitoba Stockton Heat players Syracuse Crunch players Tampa Bay Lightning players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Toledo Walleye players Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Marlies players Vegas Golden Knights players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen