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Ok, this kind of came out of nowhere.
Frank Vatrano just wrapped up his sophomore season with the University of Massachusetts this past weekend after being eliminated from the Hockey East Tournament by Notre Dame. The winger finished with a 16-12-28 line in 36 games on a Minutemen team that struggled mightily (5-16-1 record).
Vatrano is not your typical sophomore in that his freshman season consisted of a single game due to eligibility issues.
Though UMass' season was a poor one, Vatrano was a bright spot. UMass blog Fear the Triangle recently named him player of the year - and it's easy to see why. He finished second in the nation with a whopping 194 shots on goal, 5.38 per game. His 324 total shot attempts were more than double the next teammate and accounted for over 17% of the total attempts UMass took this season.
Since he's watched far more UMass than I have, here's FTT's quick scouting on Frankie V:
@seanphathaway good skater. Quick release. Really hard shot
— Fear The Triangle (@FearTheTriangle) March 12, 2015
If he's able to maintain a semblance of that shot generation, he'll prove a very nice pick up.
Absolutely humbled and honored to sign with the @NHLBruins organization! What a dream come true! pic.twitter.com/5uPl77YBqT
— Frank Vatrano (@Frank_Vatrano) March 12, 2015
Vatrano's numbers: