Trent Frederic – Center – 29th Overall 2016
Year-to-Date: 8 Games – 4 Goals – 6 Assists – 10 Points – 8 PIMs
If Zachary Senshyn was an unpopular draft pick in Boston, then Trent Frederic was simply a nightmare. While many wanted the Bruins to draft a player with high upside who could potentially become a top-six forward or a top-four defenseman, the Bruins took the safe route and drafted Frederic out of the USHL.
In 2014-15, split between the U.S. National Under-17 Team and Under-18 Team, Frederic skated in 35 games and scored three goals and five points with 30 penalty minutes and a minus-20 rating. He did improve in his second season with the U-18 team, scoring four goals and 14 points in 23 games with 23 penalty minutes and a plus-5 rating, but those numbers still don’t exactly reflect a first-round talent.
By all accounts, Frederic was destined to be a solid bottom-six player. More specifically, he was projected to be nothing more than a fourth line center.
Fast forward to the 2016-17 season, Frederic’s first with The University of Wisconsin, and the 6-foot-2, 203-pound center has scored four goals and 10 points in eight games. Unfortunately for Frederic, his season has been put on halt with an injury, but there’s still no denying that Frederic is having a breakout season just a few months after being drafted by the Bruins.