Trent Frederic’s two-way play at Wisconsin earned him his #15

Bruins Top 25 Under 25

#15 - Trent Frederic - F

Where did he come from?: 2016 Draft - 1st Round, 29th overall

Has he played in the NHL?: No

Frederic was kind of a head scratcher for fans when he was picked in the late first round. He has since done a lot to improve his standing in the eyes of fans, and a big part of it starts with who he played hockey for this year: The University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Prior to Trent Frederic, Wisconsin was an absolutely desperate hockey program. I cannot stress that enough.

How desperate you say? The year before he showed up, Wisconsin won eight games in NCAA play. The year before that? Four.

The year Frederic shows up? 2nd place in the Big 10, back in the top 20 of the USCHO poll, and ended up with a decent 20-15-1 record. That’s what quality players can do for you.

And Frederic was the #1 center for a good portion of that, and 2nd on the team in overall scoring. That’s impressive. And he had to do a lot to bring himself there.

Part of the rebuilding Badgers squad, Frederic’s been kept busy by having to support his defense and supply offense wherever he could, and he could do so very well whenever needed, bringing good anticipation of play, a relentless forecheck, a smart positioning skill in his own end, and a wicked shot.

Indeed, it was his two-way play that brought him to the limelight in Wisconsin, able to help his talented but unsure team reach greater highs than they’d seen since 2013!

Frederic also received glowing praise from SBN’s College Hockey site in a feature on him:

Overall, I think Bruins fans should be extremely pleased with how their first round pick has turned out so far. His offensive production is exceeding any reasonable expectation heading into the year, and he looks a like closer to contributing for the Bruins than initially expected...

What does the future look like for Frederic?:

So, high praise all around, and he’ll likely be returning to the University of Wisconsin. Luke Kunin may not be around for all of the years he plays for the Badgers, so his numbers may see a drop as his favorite winger goes on to different pastures, but he’ll eventually be in the pro-system. For right now anyway, Frederic should continue to be the star center for the Badgers and continue his development from there as a solid two way player the Bruins can call upon to hopefully anchor their middle/bottom six in the near future.