Morgan Frost
Canadian centre drafted 27th overall by Philadelphia in 2017.
Morgan Frost is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who plays for the Calgary Flames in the NHL. He was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with the 27th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NHL entry draft.
Frost grew up in Aurora, Ontario. His father, Andy, was the public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1999 to 2016, and his mother, Dana, works as a personal trainer and runs a yoga and cycle studio. Starting around age five, Frost regularly went with his father and sister Marley to Maple Leafs games, and by age 12 or 13 he was taking notes on the action. Despite watching what his father called “a lot of mediocre and bad hockey teams,” Frost became a devoted Leafs fan, with centre Kyle Wellwood as his favourite player.
At 13, Frost was cut from the elite AAA York–Simcoe Bantams because he was smaller and less aggressive than his teammates. Discouraged, he dropped to AA hockey, where coach John MacArthur of the AAA Barrie Jr. Colts noticed him and helped him leave the York–Simcoe system. Frost spent two seasons in Barrie, scoring 30 goals and 55 points in 30 games during the 2014–15 season.
The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League picked Frost in the fourth round, 81st overall, of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection. He didn’t expect to play right away, but when the Vancouver Canucks kept Jared McCann, the Greyhounds needed a centre and signed Frost. As a rookie, he focused too much on scoring goals, so coach Drew Bannister worked on turning him into a two-way forward. Frost posted seven goals and 20 assists in 65 games in 2015–16. The next season, he had 20 goals and 42 assists in 67 games, plus eight points in 11 playoff games, often playing on a line with Zachary Senyshyn, which taught him to be a playmaker.
The Greyhounds opened the 2017–18 season with a 20-game winning streak, and Frost averaged two points per game. As the team’s top-line centre, he played on both the power play and penalty kill, finishing with 42 goals, 112 points, and a plus‑minus of +70. In the playoffs, he scored 10 goals and 19 assists in 24 games but had a −4 plus‑minus, and the Greyhounds lost in the finals to the Hamilton Bulldogs. He won the Greyhounds’ Top Scorer Award and the Rock 101 Trophy as regular-season MVP, and was a finalist for the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s most outstanding player.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1999-05-14
- Birth Place
- Aurora, Ontario, Canada
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 11
- Weight Lb
- 193
- Position
- Centre
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Calgary Flames
- Prospect League
- AHL
- Former Teams
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Draft
- 27th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Frost grew up in Aurora, Ontario, accompanying his father Andy, the public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, to games from about age five. He began taking notes on hockey when he was 12 or 13. At age 13, Frost was cut from his local AAA minor hockey team due to his size, but coach John MacArthur of the AAA Barrie Jr. Colts took him on for two seasons. He was selected by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in the fourth round, 81st overall, of the 2015 OHL Priority Selection. Frost joined the Greyhounds as a 16-year-old when Jared McCann moved to the NHL, creating a vacancy. Coach Drew Bannister worked to turn Frost from a goal-focused rookie into a two-way forward. Frost posted two consecutive seasons of 100 or more points and appeared for Canada at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
The Flyers traded forward Brayden Schenn for the draft pick used on Frost, who signed an entry-level contract in August 2017. A groin injury affected his performance during training camp, and he was assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to start the 2019–20 season. He scored 13 goals and 29 points in 41 AHL games but struggled during his NHL call-up. He began the 2020–21 season as a bench player for the Flyers; an opportunity to fill in for an injured Sean Couturier was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury.
Reader's Guide
Morgan Frost's path to the NHL illustrates the role of late physical development and coaching adaptation in a player's career. Cut from AAA hockey at 13 due to size, he rebuilt his game at the AA level before being noticed by a Barrie coach. His selection by Sault Ste. Marie in the fourth round of the OHL draft was not expected to lead to immediate play, but a roster opening allowed him to debut as a 16-year-old. Under coach Drew Bannister, Frost shifted from a goal-scoring focus to a two-way style, culminating in back-to-back 100-point OHL seasons. The Flyers traded a veteran forward for the draft pick that became Frost, signaling organizational confidence. However, injuries—a groin issue in training camp and a dislocated shoulder requiring season-ending surgery—limited his early NHL impact. His AHL performance with Lehigh Valley, including an All-Star selection, demonstrated his scoring ability at the professional level. Frost's career to date reflects both the promise that led to a first-round selection and the challenges of translating junior success to the NHL amid physical setbacks.
Did You Know?
- Frost was cut from his local AAA minor hockey team at age 13 due to his size.
- He recorded two consecutive 100-point seasons with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
- Frost made his NHL debut on November 19, 2019, scoring his first career goal against the Florida Panthers.
More in Calgary Flames Players 1-24
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