Elkhorn’s Brady Frattinger helped give the Dryden Ice Dogs bite last winter.
The son of Trever and Terri Frattinger was third on his Superior International Junior Hockey League in goals and fourth in points. In addition to his points production, Frattinger also had an impact on the Ice Dogs with his style of play.
Head coach Kurt Walsten said that Frattinger was the team’s hardest worker. He said the forward is “like a pit bull out there.” Walsten said that the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Frattinger “plays like he’s 6-foot-4, 225 pounds.”
“He plays the same way. It doesn’t matter who he is going into the corner against, how big the guy is,” the coach said. “He plays the same way every night. That’s Ice Dog hockey.”
This past season Frattinger was eighth in the SIJHL with 23 goals in 45 games. He ranked 16th in league scoring with 43 points. In the SIJHL playoffs, Frattinger was seventh in scoring with 10 points in eight games, including five goals, as the Ice Dogs made it to the league semifinals.
“A few things attributed to my success this year,” Frattinger said. “My linemates were a huge factor. You can’t do it all on your own. I also think work ethic and just wanting to score was a big factor. You have to work hard in order to be successful so that’s what I did.”
The Ice Dogs rely on Frattinger for his defence as well as his offence. He is an important penalty killer. Walsten praised Frattinger for being a very intelligent player who knows how to play and listens to the game plan.
“When we’re winning 3-2 and in the last minute of play, I make sure to put Brady on the ice,” the coach said. “He’s good on faceoffs, he battles hard, and he’s got hockey sense.”
Frattinger was named the Ice Dogs Rookie of the Year. However, it was his second season with the team. The COVID-19 pandemic limited him to only two games in 2020-2021. Even so, Frattinger said that experience definitely helped him.
“I got a feel for the league and some of the players I’d be playing against the next season,” he said. “It also helped to have known most of the guys returning the next season.”
Frattinger was pleased to be with the Ice Dogs last season.
“After two years of COVID, it was a nice to get back to some normalcy. I also enjoyed all the road trips and poker nights with the boys.”
He said he would not be where he is today without his parents.
“The amount of time, money and support they’ve put into me over the years of my hockey career is crazy, and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me,” Frattinger said. “They made a few trips out to Dryden this year as well to watch me play, and it was pretty special to see them on the other side of the glass.”
