TORONTO – A year ago Byron Froese was riding the bus in the third-tier ECHL miles away from the first-class hotels and chartered flights offered by the NHL lifestyle. Following a successful stint in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies, the 24-year-old former U18 World Championship participant is in the midst of the first NHL call-up of his career with the Maple Leafs having appeared in 16 games for the Leafs this season. “Sometimes it takes a little bit to get that opportunity and when he got it, he took full advantage,” said Matt Macdonald, who coached Froese in Cincinnati last season. “It was just awesome to see and that's all I think it was: he got the opportunity in Toronto. “It is rare, but he was just one of those players that when you saw him play in (an ECHL) game, you knew he was above the level.” Originally a 2009 fourth-round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks, Froese never appeared in an NHL game with the Blackhawks, instead he dressed in 94 games over parts of three seasons with Chicago’s AHL affiliate in Rockford, Illinois scoring four goals and 17 points. In the final year of his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, Froese was assigned to the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones where helped his club to a Kelly Cup final appearance scoring eight goals and 17 assists in 23 games. He also appeared in 41 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye over parts of two seasons scoring 13 goals and 22 assists between 2011 and 2013. “It’s tough, it’s for sure tough, but that dream is always in the back of your mind, that’s why you play the game to get to this level,” Froese said of his ability to stay motivated. “There were certainly days where I didn’t really feel like going to the rink, but you kind of pull up your socks and do it because not everybody gets this opportunity to play this game and you’ve got to relish that.” Following the 2013/14 season Froese considered heading to Europe, but elected to sign an ECHL contract with the Cyclones for the 2014/15 season. “(Europe) is always right there, but for me it was the first year out of the Chicago organization and I wanted to give myself a chance to see what could happen and I’m really glad I did,” Froese said. After starting last season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage on a loan, Froese returned to the Cyclones to score eight goals and 16 assists in 17 games. Froese’s break came when he was loaned to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies last December. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound centre registered 18 goals and 42 points in 46 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliate. His play earned him a two-year $1.15 million contract from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization in July. The Winkler, Manitoba native started this season with the Marlies, but after scoring three goals in his first four games of the season, he was recalled by the Maple Leafs and made his NHL debut on 24th October at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens. “You always hope, but it’s not necessarily within your reach,” Froese said of his NHL debut. “Things have been unbelievable. This has been my dream for a long time and to have it come through is awesome. I just want to keep working hard to prove myself every day. “It’s definitely a harder game up here, but something I relish and I look forward to the opportunity every night.” Two nights later, in a poor loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock singled out Froese’s play as the lone bright spot as Toronto lost a fourth consecutive game. “The positive for me tonight was 56, it’s real simple,” Babcock said. “Just face-offs alone and compete alone – you’re going to be competitive if you’re going to be here, that’s it. It’s that simple. “Froese is going to be in the line-up.” He registered his first NHL point on 2nd November in a 4-1 Leafs win over the Dallas Stars, but his real addition to the Leafs has been in the face-off circle where he has won 52.2 percent of his draws – second among Toronto centres behind only Tyler Bozak (54.1). “He’s strong on his stick, he seems to do what’s working for him,” said fellow Leafs centre Nazem Kadri. “But as time goes on I think guys start to catch on a little bit and he might have to change it up, but I mean he’s got the skill set.” Froese’s ability in the face-off circle is no surprise to Macdonald, who says Froese’s success in the circle led to several goals with the Cyclones. “He goes into face-offs and you'll see him, he goes in one way and right before the puck is dropped he'll switch his hands or get a different body position because he could read off of the other player,” Macdonald said. “His hockey IQ is extremely high. He can read what the other guy is doing and counter attack that. “He could put guys wherever he wanted, in shooting positions and he'd put it right on their stick. It was actually quite remarkable to see at times how pinpoint accurate he could be on winning a draw.” Froese says he spends a lot of time studying centres. “You always watch people around the league, see what they’re doing and try to learn some of those things in practice and perfect those kinds of techniques,” he said. “For me, it’s just sticking to what’s comfortable for me, and what I’m confident in. Doing everything to make sure it’s a 50-50 battle, if not I’m winning it.” Now that he’s got a taste of the dream, Froese is working on sticking and becoming an everyday NHLer. “I just got to play my game,” he said. “Hard two-way hockey and winning face-offs. Any chance I can, making sure I’m blocking shots and doing anything I can on the (penalty kill) to keep the puck out of our net. “Structure too, focusing on the structure with my work ethic and I think I’ll have success at that." DHIREN MAHIBAN |  | |
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