The Washington Capitals have re-signed winger Ethen Frank to a two-year extension.
Frank, a restricted free agent, was extended a qualifying offer by the club on Sunday morning before signing his new deal.
PuckPedia was first on the news.
The #ALLCAPS re-signed 26 y/o RFA F Ethen Frank to 1 year deal
Year 1 775K NHL, 250K Minors
Year 2 775K NHL (1-way)29G 47P in 64 AHL GP
Rep'd by @Matt_Federico @o2ksports https://t.co/tNkfniLKZZ
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 1, 2024
Frank’s contract will be a two-way deal for the first year and then a one-way contract for the second. During the first year at the NHL level, he’ll make $775,000 and he has earned a slight raise at the AHL level, $250,000. The one-way nature of the second year means he will earn $775,000 at both levels during the 2025-26 campaign.
The 26-year-old forward was signed to his first NHL contract by Washington in March of 2023. He has led Hershey Bears in goals in consecutive seasons. This last year, he amassed 29 tallies in 64 games and then also led the team in postseason goals with 10 in 18 games.
Frank has won the AHL’s Fastest Skater competition for two straight years and beat Connor McDavid’s fastest time in the NHL event by nearly four-tenths of a second. His speed and goal-scoring ability previously caught the eye of Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery.
“He’s doing all the right things,” Carbery said last February. “We’ve been keeping a close eye on him. I talked to (Hershey Bears head coach) Todd (Nelson) actually about him specifically.
“What he’s doing is catching the organization’s attention. I know it hasn’t resulted in a call-up yet and I don’t know when or if that comes to fruition, but the things he’s doing aren’t going unnoticed.”
Frank never did get a recall last season due to a late-season injury and is still hoping to make his NHL debut. Washington could have room on the wing next year after trading away Beck Malenstyn at the draft and with the uncertain status of TJ Oshie.
