Morgan Frost Should Be a Flyer in 2019-20

By Jeff Quake, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

So far in just 32 games played, 19 year-old Morgan Frost is once again dominating the OHL with 20 goals, 38 assists, for 58 points. At that rate, Frost should easily surpass his career high total points of 112 points, set last year.

Future Considerations lists him as "a playmaking pivot who reads the game intelligently, calm and poised, agile on his skates and possesses excellent edge work." HockeyProspect.com says that he "has good hockey sense and he reads plays quickly in all three zones and reacts accordingly."

During the 2019 World Junior Championships representing Team Canada, Frost arguably the best player on the ice, leading the team with eight points in just five games, tied for second-most in the tournament.

Despite Canada getting eliminated before the medal round — in a 2-1 overtime loss in the quarterfinals to the eventual gold-medal winners Finland — the hockey world got to see how lethal Frost really is. A prime example of his dominance was during Canada’s 14-0 win over Denmark. In the first period alone, he had a hat trick and later tacked on two assists for a five-point performance.

The alternate captain for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds turns 20 on May 14, thus becoming eligible to play either in the NHL or AHL next season. Former GM Ron Hextall said prior to a preseason game against the New York Islanders that the reason Frost was returned to juniors what that he simply wasn't ready for the NHL.

"There has to be more maturity in his game and it wasn’t there," Hextall said in September. "It was pretty obvious, not only in the game, but in practice, that he wasn’t ready for this. He’s 19 years old, we told him today it is not a crime at 19." Hextall noted then that Frost was asking questions about what he needed to improve. 

As much as the Flyers fans would have liked to see Frost now, another year of juniors is definitely making him a stronger player day by day. Regardless, Hextall didn’t seemed to be thrilled enough by Frost’s play to keep him in the NHL.

“We watch practices hard,’’ Hextall said. “Every day matters. If you can’t keep up or you lose pace, it’s time. It was pretty obvious; it was an easy decision. That’s not a knock. He’s a typical 19-year-old kid.’’

Former head coach Dave Hakstol even mentioned prior to the season that "the part of the game without the puck, learning how to check it and working to get it back, that’s an area we’re going to ask him to improve."

Another area to work on is adding on some weight and more muscle considering the fact that he isn’t the biggest player on the ice. Since the end of his season last year, Frost has done exactly that as he is six feet and gained roughly 13 pounds.

"Just trying to eat as often as you can, even if it’s just little small meals," Frost said at Development Camp in June. "Build it up instead of your normal breakfast, lunch, dinner. I don’t know what came over me, but all of a sudden I have a bigger appetite lately. It’s just so different when you’re skating every day [and you burn it off]. Going into last season I was closer to 180 so I think it’s my normal weight, but when you’re on the ice and working out every day you’re gonna lose weight so I was playing at around 174, 175." 

Each day is a learning process for Frost as he inches his way towards cracking the Flyers roster. Overall, Frost is doing everything he can to prepare for what hopefully is not only a long-term career in the NHL but for several years with the Orange and Black.

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