NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Trent Frederic

Get to Know Trent Frederic

Date of Birth: 2/11/1998
Place of Birth: St. Louis, MO, USA
Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 203 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Center
Team (League): U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

Frederic has the ability to score goals, with a strong wrist shot and good release. He is also able to score in close, taking the puck to the net when he gets the opportunity, or throw fast hands that get rebounds and deflections. In terms of stick handling Frederic protects the puck well, but he is not one to make a lot of fancy one on one moves. His passing game also relies on making the simple play and does not typically look for the overly fancy or creative play. Frederic shows good hockey IQ, finding open space away from defenders, and making smart safe plays.

SBNation College Hockey:

Trent Frederic has really good skill for a player over six feet tall. His feet sometimes look a little too heavy to play the center position, but he uses his footwork to be really deceptive in close quarters in the offensive zone. He’s more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, though he did score a goal on a quick shot from the high slot on Sunday(I think everyone scored on Sunday). He’s not very physical for his size, but that area of his game could develop with time.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Frederic isn’t really different from Cameron Morrison in a lot of ways. Power forward games, strong defensive effort and questionable offensive upside. Frederic is your prototypical post-first round forward that you feel great about him making the NHL because his dedication to impacting games on the defensive end is something pro coaches adore.

Frederic isn’t much of a goal-scorer or playmaker, though he does have offense in the chamber. It will be interesting to see him get away from the stacked US program and be given more of a starring role in college. I don’t love Frederic’s offense. He’s kind of an awkward skater to my eye and isn’t great on his edges but his balance is solid.

Highlights

NHL Potential

Frederic has solid third line player written all over him to me. If his offense picks up, and it certainly could in a more expanded role, he could definitely be a strong second line guy in the NHL. He has plenty of talent and his defensive maturity will give him every opportunity at every level.

Expected Draft Position

Frederic’s rankings have him solidly in the second round, meaning that’s where you really start looking for him to go. Like most guys in the 50-ish range, however, there’s a real possibility of slipping to the third round as well.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

He plays forward so he fills the organization’s most immediate need in its prospect pipeline. His talent and play style also fit very much of what the Avalanche have targeted in recent years, although his skating would make him a bit of an outlier. Getting him in the third round would be good value while selecting him at 40 would represent a small “reach.”