Matt Frattin's collegiate hockey career at the University of North Dakota has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. He was suspended for engaging in typical crazy university student antics before being removed from the team for violating team rules. Mike Ulmer wrote a fantastic piece about him this December that focused on the personal work he did to move past his issues with alcohol which were far darker than one would have assumed. He returned and played the kind of game that has had Leafs fans curious about what Frattin might be able to bring to the franchise.
He is currently in the running for the Hobey Baker which is awarded to the NCAA's best player. In part, because of a little bit of help from the community here which didn't go over so well. So far he's picked up the WCHA's player of the year award and is a first team all-star:
Frattin won the WCHA scoring title with 40 points (22 goals, 18 assists) in 28 league games, becoming UND's first scoring champion since Ryan Duncan in 2006-07. Frattin's 40 points during league play were the most by a Fighting Sioux since Jeff Panzer (49 points) and Bryan Lundbohm (40) in 2000-01.
Frattin enters the WCHA playoffs tied for the NCAA goal-scoring lead with 29. In 37 games this season, the Edmonton, Alberta, native leads the top-ranked Sioux in points (49), goals (29), power-play goals (nine), game-winning goals (four) and shorthanded goals (two). He is currently in the midst of his second nine-game point streak of the season, and earlier in the year he produced an eight-game goal-scoring streak that was the fourth-longest in school history.
Of note as well is that defensive prospect Jake Gardiner was named to the WCHA Second Team.
Video of Matt "MurderDeathKill" Frattin after the jump:
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