Trent Frederic (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) 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. In ice hockey, two o ...

forward for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

(NHL). The Bruins selected him in the first round, 29th overall, of the

2016 NHL Entry Draft The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was the 54th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The first three selections were Auston Matthews going to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine ...

. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Frederic was a childhood fan of the St. Louis Blues NHL team, and his childhood coaches included former Blues players Keith Tkachuk and David Backes. After two seasons at

De Smet Jesuit High School De Smet Jesuit High School is a Catholic, college preparatory high school for boys located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school began classes in the fall of 1967. It was named in honor of the ...

, he was recruited for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2013, with whom he appeared in multiple international tournaments, including the World U-17 Hockey Challenge and

IIHF World U18 Championship The IIHF U18 World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a ...

. While with the USA Hockey program, Frederic committed to join the Wisconsin Badgers

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program for their 2016–17 season. The Badgers lost the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...

championships both seasons Frederic was there, but he scored 15 and 17 goals in those two seasons, respectively. After his

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educati ...

year, Frederic chose to leave Wisconsin in order to sign with the Bruins. Frederic's push to become the Bruins' third-line center in the season did not work out: he had a chance at the role in February 2019, but was sent back down to the Providence Bruins of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL) after 11 scoreless outings. Frederic remained with Providence for the season, save for two NHL games in place of an injured Zachary Senyshyn, and had 32 AHL

points Point or points may refer to: Places * Point, Lewis, a peninsula in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland * Point, Texas, a city in Rains County, Texas, United States * Point, the NE tip and a ferry terminal of Lismore, Inner Hebrides, Scotland * Point ...

by the time that the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

brought the season to a premature end. Frederic had a permanent position in the Bruins' NHL roster the following season until he contracted a mysterious illness in April, after which he was used only sparingly.

Early life

Frederic was born on February 11, 1998, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Bob and Gaye Frederic, both lifelong fans of the St. Louis Blues of the

(NHL). Raised a Blues fan, Frederic's favorite hockey players as a child were Keith Tkachuk and David Backes, and as he began playing hockey himself, he would model his playing style after that of Backes. He played three sports throughout his childhood, all of which were coached by former professionals: Frederic's hockey coaches were Tkachuk and Jeff Brown, the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

coach on his

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

team was Gus Frerotte, and

Mike Matheny Michael Scott Matheny (born September 22, 1970) is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for 13 seasons as a catche ...

coached him in

Little League Baseball Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Frederic spent two years as a three-sport athlete for

before October 2013, when the USA Hockey National Team Development Program noticed him at a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

tournament and recruited him for their program. He spent two years in the development program, scoring seven goals and 12 assists for a total of 19

in 58

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictl ...

games.

Playing career

NCAA

On April 18, 2014, Frederic committed to play

for the Wisconsin Badgers beginning in the 2016–17 season. The summer before joining the Badgers, Frederic, who had previously been recruited by the Boston University Terriers, was selected by the

in the first round, 29th overall, of the

. Despite being drafted, Frederic committed to Wisconsin, and he scored his first collegiate goal on October 8, 2016, as part of a 6–5 defeat of the Northern Michigan Wildcats. With six points in his first four games, including a four-point game against the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

, Frederic was named the

's Second Star of the Week for the week ending October 18. After breaking his hand in practice on November 17, the Badgers' goals per game dropped from 3.75 in the eight games he had played to 2.67 in the six games he missed. Centering a line with Cameron Hughes and Luke Kunin, Frederic was second to Kunin with 15 goals and 33 points in 30 regular season games. Although the Badgers lost the Big Ten tournament to

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High ...

in double overtime, thus keeping them out of the NCAA tournament, Frederic was named the

Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Freshman of the Year The Big Ten Freshman of the Year is an annual award given out at the conclusion of the Big Ten regular season to the best freshman in the conference as voted by a media panel and the head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professi ...

, as well as the recipient of the Spike Carlson–Chris Chelios Award for the Badgers'

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(MVP). He was also named to both the All-Big Ten Second Team and Freshman Team. When Hughes was promoted to Badgers

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

shortly before the 2017–18 season, Frederic became one of four alternate captains. He struggled in the first half of the regular season, dropping from 1.1 points per game during his freshman year to 0.76 as a sophomore, in part because his opponents were targeting him. In an effort to remedy this, coach Tony Granato dropped Frederic from the first to the third offensive line, where he centered Matthew Freytag and Sean Dhooghe. On February 7, after back-to-back three-point outings against the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

, Frederic was named the Big Ten second star of the week. Although Frederic delivered two goals in the Big Ten tournament game, the Badgers lost to Michigan 7–4 and were kept once again from the NCAA tournament. Frederic had 17 goals and 32 points in 36 regular season games for the Badgers that year and was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention, but had two four-game scoring droughts as Wisconsin finished the season 14–19–4. After the 2017–18 season ended, Frederic signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Bruins, ending his college hockey career.

Professional

Frederic's contract with the Bruins started during the season, but he was able to finish out the season with the Providence Bruins, Boston's

(AHL) affiliate, on an amateur tryout contract. He played in 13 regular season games for Providence, recording five goals and eight points in the process, and contributed an additional assist in three postseason games. The offseason departure of Riley Nash to the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

left the Bruins' third-line center position open for the season, and Frederic entered training camp in contention with Jack Studnicka and

Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (born 31 October 1996) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player, who most recently played for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Forsbacka Karlsson was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second ...

for the role. Veterans David Backes and Sean Kuraly were ultimately awarded the job, while Frederic and his competitors were sent back to Providence. Ultimately, however, the third-line center became a rotating position, and Frederic was called up from Providence on January 29 to try out the role. He made his NHL debut that night, skating alongside his childhood hero Backes, and received a five-minute major penalty for fighting with Winnipeg Jets forward

Brandon Tanev Brandon Tanev (born December 31, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins. Born in Toronto ...

. After 11 scoreless games for Boston, Frederic was sent back down to Providence on February 22, shortly before the trading deadline, in order to clear

salary cap In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...

space for new acquisition

Charlie Coyle Charles Robert Coyle (born March 2, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Minnesota Wild. Coyle played part of a single ...

. Ultimately, Frederic played in 15 NHL games during the 2018–19 season, with no goals or assists in any of them, but had 14 goals and 25 points in 55 games with Providence. Although he began the season in Providence, injuries soon decimated the Bruins' offensive core, and Frederic was called up to Boston on November 14 to replace an injured

Zach Senyshyn Zachary Senyshyn (born March 30, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). Senyshyn was selected by the Boston Bruins in the first round (15th overall) o ...

. He skated on the third line with

Par Lindholm Par or PAR may refer to: Finance * Par value, stated value or face value in finance and accounting * Par yield or par rate, in finance Games * Par (score), the number of strokes a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, round or tour ...

and Danton Heinen, playing on the

left wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...

instead of his usual center. His call-up was short-lived, as Frederic, Paul Carey, and

Urho Vaakanainen Urho Vaakanainen (born 1 January 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 18th overall by the Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Vaakanainen ...

were all sent down to Providence on November 18 to make room for Jake DeBrusk, Patrice Bergeron, and Brett Ritchie, all of whom were returning from their respective injuries. Although he played in only two NHL games that season, Frederic made a much larger impact in the AHL, where he scored eight goals and 32 points in 59 regular season games, all while leading the league with 148 penalty minutes. By the time that the AHL season was canceled in March due to the

, the Providence Bruins were on a 12-game winning streak and were poised to take the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. When the NHL returned to play for the

2020 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on August 1, 2020, and concluded on September 28, 2020, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second Stanley Cup in franchis ...

, Frederic was one of 31 players selected to join the team in the Toronto " bubble". He contracted the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

virus during the pre-playoff training camp, however, and could not play with the team during their postseason run. Frederic opened the season as a member of the Bruins'

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, ready to fill in for either Craig Smith or Brad Marchand as needed. After cementing his place on the Bruins lineup by way of fighting with P. K. Subban of the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The club was founded as the Kans ...

early in the season, Frederic finally picked up his first NHL point on January 23, an assist on Coyle's goal in a 3–1 defeat of 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. The team plays its home games in Wel ...

. His first NHL goal also came against the Flyers, a second-period shot past

Carter Hart Carter Hart ( ; born August 13, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born and raised in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Hart began training with a sport psychologist fro ...

during the

NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe was a series of two outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) games, held on the weekend of February 20–21, 2021. Both games were played without fans at a rink on the 18th fairway of the Edgewood Tahoe Re ...

game on February 21. What was poised to be a strong rookie season for Frederic was suddenly derailed aftar April 6, when he contracted a mysterious, non-COVID-19 illness. Frederic suffered a

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...

of over that sidelined him for some time, and when the Bruins acquired

Curtis Lazar Curtis Lazar (born February 2, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the first round (17th overall) of ...

and Taylor Hall in a late-season trade with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conf ...

, it was difficult for Frederic to find his way back into the lineup. After contracting the illness, he made only six more regular-season appearances for Boston. He scored four goals and one assist in 42 regular season games, but did not make an appearance in any of the Bruins' 11 games at the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, even when the fourth line wavered and Boston eventually fell to the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

. An impending restricted free agent after the 2020–21 season, Frederic signed a two-year, $2.1 million contract extension with the Bruins on June 25, 2021. Shortly thereafter, he was one of the seven forwards that the Bruins chose to protect in the

2021 NHL Expansion Draft The 2021 NHL Expansion Draft was an expansion draft that was conducted by the National Hockey League on July 21, 2021, to fill the roster of the league's expansion team for the 2021–22 season, the Seattle Kraken. Background On December 4, 20 ...

. He was taken out of the Bruins' lineup on November 9 after an unexpected hit from Josh Brown of the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member ...

caused an upper body injury.

International play

Frederic's tenure with the National Team Development Program allowed him to represent the United States at a number of international tournaments, beginning with the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he recorded one goal and one assist in six games of Team USA's silver-medal finish. The following year, Frederic helped the United States to a bronze medal with four goals and three assists in the 2016 IIHF World U18 Championships, including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wi ...

in the team's 12–1 opening-round rout of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. Two years later, he won another bronze medal, this time contributing five goals in seven games for the United States junior team at the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Four of these goals came in the bronze medal game, where the US team defeated the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

9–3.

Fighting

Standing at and weighing , Frederic has become a successful fighter in his NHL career. His penchant for fighting began as a child, when he and his brother Grant would practice hitting each other in a makeshift basement roller rink. Most of his fights have come from a self-professed desire to help his teammates, such as when he battled

Tommy Cross Thomas Reginald Cross (born September 12, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). Cross was selected by the Boston Bruins in the second roun ...

of the Springfield Thunderbirds after Cross elbowed Cameron Hughes in the head. Boston coach Bruce Cassidy has praised Frederic's discipline and control in picking his battles and has encouraged him to become an enforcer. Cassidy and teammate Brad Marchand, himself a notorious

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

, have also praised Frederic's ability to draw penalties from his opponents by agitating them into a fight or another infraction.

Personal life

Frederic's older brother Grant is also a hockey player, and the two would often face each other while Trent played with the US national team and Grant was with the Green Bay Gamblers. Grant spent four years playing college ice hockey for the Miami RedHawks before signing with the

Adirondack Thunder The Adirondack Thunder are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2015–16 season. The team is based in Glens Falls, New York, and affiliated with the NHL's New Jersey Devils. The Thunder play their home games at the ...

of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). Th ...

in 2020.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Frederic, Trent 1998 births Living people American men's ice hockey centers Boston Bruins draft picks Boston Bruins players Ice hockey players from St. Louis National Hockey League first-round draft picks Providence Bruins players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey players