BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — This might sound odd, but one of the best things to happen to Trent Frederic this Wisconsin men's hockey season is that he got hurt.
Frederic suffered a hand injury in a November practice that forced the freshman center to miss six games.
Before the incident, Frederic was having a strong season: 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in eight games.
Since returning to the lineup and the top forward line, Frederic has nudged his performance bar even higher: 10-10-20 in 14 outings.
Frederic smiled when the theory was presented to him after practice earlier this week.
"Silly as that sounds, I guess it did help just from the watching perspective," he said. "I got to watch a ton of games and see how the game evolves. It's a lot different watching with a bird's eye view than actually playing. So, in a way, that did help."
UW coach Tony Granato also endorsed the idea.
"All great players, when they have an injury and they come back, they become a better player," he said. "They study the game. They do what they need to do to come back in top shape. They recognize what they can do to help the team."
Make no mistake, Granato believes Frederic, listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, is an elite player even though the first-round NHL draft pick of Boston turned 19 earlier this month.
"Even though he missed four weeks, it didn't slow his development down," said Granato, who played and coached in the NHL before returning to his alma mater last March.
"He's as mature as any player in the NHL as far as understanding what his responsibilities are. He gets it. It's not complicated to him."
Granato said the first time he and his first-year assistants — associate head coaches Don Granato and Mark Osiecki — saw Frederic in practice they felt they had something special.
"His size, his poise, his consistency, his ability to see how the game's being played all factor into why he's so successful," Granato said of Frederic, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program. "He's only going to continue to get better.
"You always wonder if a guy gets off to a good start as a freshman if he's going to level off. He just continues to find ways to improve."
The injury down time might explain why Frederic has not experienced a noticeable slump this season, which is normal for first-year players at the college level regardless of their pedigree.
It happened to Joe Pavelski, now a captain and NHL all-star with San Jose. He began his UW career in 2004-05 with six goals in his first seven games, then had one in his next 12.
It happened to Kyle Turris, now a three-time 20-goal scorer in the NHL with Ottawa. He scored five times in his first four outings for the Badgers in 2007-08, then went into a nine-game goal-less funk.
Granato couldn't recall if he experienced a performance blip during his rookie season at Wisconsin in 1983-84 — he wound up with 14-17-31 in 35 games — but he leans toward the notion that every case is different.
In other words, for every consistent force like Frederic, there's one or two like defenseman JD Greenway and winger Max Zimmer, whose freshman seasons at Wisconsin have been roller-coaster rides.
A guy who knows this drill is UW sophomore winger and captain Luke Kunin, who is Frederic's roommate and line-mate as well as a fellow first-round NHL draft pick and St. Louis-area native.
It's hard to identify a rookie slump for Kunin in 2015-16, but he'll tell you there was a noticeable moment in his transition.
"After the Christmas break it definitely got better for me," he said.
Prior to the semester break, Kunin showed 6-5-11 in 16 games. In the 18 outings that followed, he had 13-8-21.
"Production picked up and I just felt more comfortable," said Kunin, whose NHL rights are owned by Minnesota.
Like Granato, Kunin thinks Frederic is an uncommon talent whose two-way presence has helped the 19th-ranked Badgers challenge for first place in the Big Ten Conference.
A major task in that project comes Friday and Saturday at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis when second-place Wisconsin (17-10-1 overall, 10-4 with 30 points in the Big Ten) plays at front-running Minnesota (20-8-2, 11-3, 33 points).
The effect Frederic has on the Badgers is pronounced. They were 5-3 before his injury, 2-3-1 with him on the sidelines and are 10-4 since he came back Dec. 9.
Moreover, Wisconsin averages 4.0 goals per game with Frederic in the lineup and 2.8 without him.
"He's gotten better every game he's played, I think," Kunin said of Frederic.
Over his last six games, Frederic shows 7-5-12. Five of those conversions gave UW the lead and one tied the game.
"His potential, every day you see him, you think, 'Wow, it may even be bigger than it was the day before,'" Granato said of Frederic.
Overall, Frederic is second on the team in goals (14) and scoring (30 points), first nationally in short-handed points (2-3-5) and third nationally among freshmen in points per game (1.36).
"It doesn't surprise me what he's doing," Kunin said of his friend. "He's a great player. It's fun playing with him and I love seeing what he's doing."
Kunin offered an interesting take on Frederic's injury and whether it helped him.
"Maybe it could have," Kunin said. "Maybe something happens like that, it might make you mad that you want to come back and get after it right away. You might be hungrier than you were before the injury."
Frederic knows he's in pretty good place in terms of performance.
"I've been in grooves before, but right now, the last couple games, the puck's been bouncing my way," he said.
What's that feel like?
"Good question," Frederic said. "Obviously it feels nice. The bounces are coming to me and it's really nice."
Granato said he won't hesitate to use Frederic in any game situation, including important face-offs. Frederic ranks third on the team with a .493 success rate (182-187).
"I'm not sure he knows how good (he is) and how easy he makes things look," Granato said.
"I think he just plays the game. He's sees it well. He understands the game well. He understands what's being asked of him.
"He's having a phenomenal season for a freshman. He's a big part of every different situation in a game. We turn to him to see if he's fresh enough to get out there.
"In a key situation, he's going to be over the boards," Granato said.
Good idea.
Going gopher hunting.
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