MONDAY FEATURE: Frasca Overcomes Untimely Preseason Injury And Begins Pro Career

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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - Not that there's ever a good time to be on the injured list, but after going through a full off-season of training in preparation for his rookie season of professional hockey a collision during a training camp practice at the end of September saw Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins rookie forward Jordan Frasca off the ice and wearing a protective boot to begin the 2022-23 season.

It turned out to be a high-ankle sprain, one that sidelined Frasca for the better part of 10 weeks before he was eventually cleared for game action and assigned to the Pittsburgh Penguins' ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailers on December 9.

"At the time, I thought I'd be back a little bit sooner," Frasca said of his initial reaction to the injury. "But those things are tough, and they're hard to deal with."

The high-ankle sprain is a notoriously tricky injury to navigate with regards to a timetable for a full recovery. It's why some players are fortunate and only miss a few weeks, while others - like Frasca - need a few months to be ready to return to action.

"It was really tough. There were some days where it was hard, and I had some setbacks. But then some days it felt good and it was very inconsistent," Frasca told InsideAHLHockey.com. "But the best thing was I learned a lot off the ice, learned more about myself and had to keep a good attitude."

After recording an assist in his pro debut on December 10 in Wheeling's 5-0 win in Kalamazoo and appearing in the Nailers' road contest at Indy this past Wednesday, the Penguins called up Frasca to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins prior to this weekend's games against the Hershey Bears.

Due to the call up of forward Drew O'Connor to the NHL Penguins and the flu bug making its rounds in the AHL Penguins locker room, Frasca was called up to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Thursday and in the lineup Friday night - making his AHL debut centering the fourth line.

READ ALSO: Game Story: Hershey - 1 at W-B/Scranton - 3 (12/16/22)

Frasca didn't record any points in his AHL debut, but he did appear on the stat sheet Friday night after an altercation in front of - and inside - the Penguins bench with noted Hershey Bears antagonist Kale Kessy in the third period.

"He was waiting at the bench and wouldn't let me get on [the ice]," Frasca explained after the game as to what started the confrontation. "So I decided I had to stick up for myself and not let him get away with doing anything dumb."

Both Frasca and Kessy were issued ten-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, while Kessy picked up an additional roughing minor.

"I thought he did a great job of handling himself. You know, I don't think he shies away from the physical part of the game. It was a weird one... I've never really seen anything quite like that," Forrest said of the scrum between Frasca and Kessy spilling into the Penguins' bench.

Frasca's tenacity and willingness to go to the dirty areas of the ice in his debut didn't go unnoticed by Penguins head coach JD Forrest, and of course that sequence in the third period with Kessy caught his attention.

"Frasca is a smart player, he made some good plays defensively. It's good to see those guys back in the lineup and I thought they did a nice job in that role the fourth line," Forrest said of Frasca and fellow rookie forward Ty Glover, who also returned to action after missing a few weeks with a lower body injury.

After making his AHL debut Friday night, he was back in the lineup for the rematch Saturday night though the Penguins came up short in a 2-1 overtime setback.

"I felt good. There's always more room for improvement and growth," Frasca said of his own performance, when asked to gauge where his conditioning was at. "[For] myself, I believe I could still keep getting better. It was a hard, long recovery process. And I'm here now and I'm grateful to be here."

READ ALSO: Game Story: Hershey - 2 at W-B/Scranton - 1 (OT) 12/17/22

It's not the first bit of adversity Frasca has faced in recent years. Of course, Frasca - like many in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) - didn't play any hockey during the 2020-21 season due to the league canceling the entire season during the COVID pandemic.

Undrafted and entering his third OHL season in 2021-22 - his second with the Kingston Frontenacs - Frasca knew he needed to have a strong season to garner some attention during the NHL's undrafted free agency period in the spring if he had any hopes of continuing his hockey career into the professional ranks.

He went on to have a breakout year with Kingston this past season, doubling his offensive point totals from before the pandemic and tallying 42 goals and 45 assists in just 61 games.

"Last year, I think it was just because of my growth mindset and being aware it was my second time back in Kingston," Frasca explained of his scoring surge last year in junior hockey. "I was more comfortable and I knew there was a job that needed to be done."

He's not looking too far ahead to try to replicate that offensive success at the pro level from Day 1, but it's something he obviously wants to bring to the table as he gets more comfortable with his new surroundings.

Yeah, I want to continue that [offensive success] at the pro level. But at the pro level it's most important [for me to be] a valuable asset for my team, whether that's defensively [or] killing penalties," Frasca explained, adding, "I have to focus on that and playing the right way. And then hopefully the offense will come. [Friday] was the first step [toward] that. I have to keep going with each and every game and keep learning."

There might be some concerns on how the injury will affect his skating, which was already an area of concern as a prospect coming into the pro game, but Frasca explained that because of his injury he has focused even more on it and is paying attention to detail regarding working on his skating.

It's been a longer road than he had hoped or initially expected, but Frasca admitted the injury setback has allowed him to be more in tune with a "present-mindset" and a "going with the flow" attitude.

After the initial disappointment subsided, he was quickly to work off the ice - watching games and paying attention to what his fellow teammates at the center position were doing, being involved and present for all of the forward group's video sessions to keep up to speed on systems knowledge and taking in all the information he could while itching to get back onto the ice and into his first professional hockey games.

"I knew was going to get better," Frasca told InsideAHLHockey.com Friday night. "I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. And I'm here now."

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