ETHAN FRISCH - ON THE HORIZON
Lizz Child
Jun 27, 2023
After wrapping up his senior season with the Fighting Hawks, Ethan Frisch joined the Barracuda in the final four weeks of the 2022-23 season and had such a good time, he signed to come back for another go in 2023-24.
The 22-year-old out of the University of North Dakota first pulled on skates when he was just two or three years old. Perhaps not overly surprising for a kid from Minnesota surrounded by backyard rinks and a family who thrives on the ice.
“I learned to love the game in the backyard and playing for Moorhead youth hockey,” says Frisch on how his path to San Jose began.
With both his father (Dan) and uncle (Ryan) playing hockey and a pair of aunts (Shelly and Dawn) who coach figure skating at a professional level, there should never have been any doubt that Ethan Frisch was going to find his way with an on-ice sport, though he tried every sport he could. Basketball, lacrosse, football, gymnastics, and, of course, golf have all been part of Frisch’s athletic experience, but hockey was the one that stuck the most (and golf as well, obviously.)
“My dad kind of got me into [hockey]. I skated with my aunts. That’s where I really learned how to skate, was from figure skating coaches.”
While he never actually did figure skating, he picked up much of his skating technique and knowledge from the figure skating world.
"They have such a pure stride, edge work, and all the different areas of skating. They’re really good at picking apart stride and making sure you’re having as efficient of a stride as possible on the ice."
Unfortunately, Frisch hasn’t had a chance to work with his aunts over the past couple of summers due to various scheduling conflicts on both sides, they worked with him through high school, and he helped them coach younger kids as well. He’s even done personal sessions with some of the local kids, teaching them how to skate.
While he loved the game growing up, college hockey had not been at the forefront of a young Ethan Frisch’s mind. He began getting calls from universities at just 14 or 15 years old – a practice that is no longer allowed. While there were several college programs picking up the phone, the kid from Minnesota found his place at the University of North Dakota.
“Everyone always asks me why I didn’t go to Minnesota. Well, Minnesota is [roughly] four hours away from me and UND is only an hour or so.”
Though, before he settled on UND, Frisch insists he had not grown up hoping for any specific program to come knocking. “If I were ever leaning in any direction growing up, it would have been that I’m going to be a Husky. I did visit St. Cloud and schools like [University of Minnesota,] Duluth. A lot of schools in the area and some out east too.”
Frisch says once he visited North Dakota and saw everything they had to offer, he never looked back.
“UND just really felt like home for me.”
Not only did UND feel like home to Frisch, but it was also close enough to his hometown of Moorhead, MN that he was able to see his family often and see his younger brothers play as well.
As for his time playing for North Dakota, Frisch says it was “pretty special to be able to play for that community,” and went on to note that the facilities at UND are world class and that the coaching staff are down-to-earth and simply great people in general.
Specifically noting that the area and school have a great balance. It may not be the biggest community, but it was a community that, just like Moorhead, really cares about their hockey and sports in general.
“UND has a very passionate fan base for hockey. You kind of get to experience that big fish in a small pond feeling.”
“The teammates and relationships I built there are ones that I’ll never forget and hold for the rest of my life.”
Just the mental part of the game
When you look for stories about Ethan Frisch online, most of them talk about his days learning from long-time NHLer and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Matt Cullen. Frisch’s family is close with Cullen’s, with both being from Moorhead, Minnesota. With Cullen returning home to Moorhead over the summers, he would lead some skates and help cultivate the next generation of players from his hometown (an experience which is no-doubt useful in his current role as a development coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins). Having the opportunity to share the ice and get help from a pro early in his high school career is something Frisch says he very much appreciated. Of course, the connection goes beyond hockey, with Frisch’s father having worked for Cullen’s before purchasing the company from him and the families have remained close.
“Obviously, whatever team he was on was my favorite team growing up, so getting to watch him, follow his career, have him take me under his wing for a bit, and teach me some of the things he’s learned along his pro career was special. I know some things that I’ve learned from and observed him doing will help me in my career going forward here.”
One of those things that he’s seen up close and learned from the Cullens is how important the mental part of the game is.
“One thing that I learned from him, and I heard this from his dad because his dad kind of taught through my dad, is just the mental part of the game. Once you get to the pro level, everyone is physically gifted. There are a lot of people playing in the AHL that could be playing in the NHL and vice versa. It really comes down to how mentally tough you are. If you can handle the ups and downs, come with a positive attitude, and make sure you’re trying to get the most out of every day. That’s one thing that will stick with me. I’ve tried to carry that through my career up to this point and plan on continuing to, knowing there will be hardships, ups and downs, but just attacking every day with a good attitude and controlling what I can control.”
Just what can Frisch control? Increasingly as of late, the phrase “I can only control what I can control” is used, but what does that mean for an athlete like Frisch who is just starting out in his professional career?
“Preparation is obviously huge for a game, right? I think you look at a lot of video, you do a lot of practice, you work on all these skills, and you really focus on the repetition – that muscle memory – all that stuff before the game so you don’t have to tie yourself up with that during the game. There are some pointers that you look back on during the game, some key points that you want to focus on, but for me, I think being able to burn that into my head. Different things as far as what does the other team’s powerplay look like? What is their penalty kill like? Their forecheck? Different things like that. Learning that before the game lets me go more off instincts during the game so I don’t have to concern myself with a million little things while I’m playing.”
As for how he plays when he’s on the ice? Frisch seems to view himself as more of a multi-tool playmaker. He prides himself on being as versatile as possible and someone that can be used in any situation. Not only does he want to be able to be used in all situations, but he wants to be put in those roles.
“If you need me on a penalty kill, I’ll go play penalty kills. If you need me against the other team’s top line, I’ll do that. If you need me in any situation, I can do that and just take pride in whatever role I’m given. I’ll do my best at whatever you give me. I think just being a good defenseman, taking care of my job, and doing what the team needs most is how I like to play.”
During the 2022-23 season, Barracuda head coach John McCarthy spoke a few times on the importance of players adding to their toolbelt and becoming guys who can be trusted in a variety of situations. It seems he may have found one of those guys every coach is looking for.
Looking to the season ahead, Frisch says he is excited about the opportunity he has with San Jose.
“The program, where they’re at, I think there’s a really good opportunity to do something special there. Getting that call, I couldn’t have been more excited to come to San Jose.”
With the Barracuda finishing the regular season just one point out of a playoff position, the door has been left wide open for a statement year in San Jose and Ethan Frisch can see it on the horizon.
GET TO KNOW ETHAN FRISCH
What does your game-day routine look like?
EF: “It’s a little bit different, I’ve already noticed in pros versus college, but I like to get into the rink, whether in pre-game skate or just a stretch to get the muscles going and get your mind off the game a little bit. Get back into an environment that you like. From there, I’ll go back home and shut it down for a little bit, take a short nap. Then, get a little pre-game meal in me. Usually, that consists of a sweet potato and some salmon. Maybe some other little things – fruit and stuff like that. I’m pretty structured. After I wake up from my nap, it’s pretty much the same thing every time. I try not to let the routine throw me off. I noticed once you get to the pros, not every day looks the same. Games are at different times. You can’t be thinking about games before they happen because you have games almost every other day. So, just kind of sticking to that routine but also having the flexibility to be confident in my game, even if I can’t follow that routine.”
I tape my sticks before every game. That’s one thing I do, and there are other things. I make sure my skates are sharp and things like that. As far as crazy little things, not so much besides getting shut down for that nap. I like my naps.
Are you a pre-game coffee guy?
EF: I love coffee. I’ll take a Celsius drink too, but I do love coffee.
What's going in your coffee?
EF: A little bit of half-and-half creamer. I’m not a big French vanilla/caramel macchiato type of guy. I’ll maybe put a little bit of half-and-half, otherwise straight black. If I need something sweet, I’ll put in some honey and I’ll mix that up.
What does your perfect day off look like?
EF: I guess it depends on what point of the season we’re at and how many games I had the days before, but I like to get outside. I like to be outdoors, which might sound weird for a guy that comes from some of the harshest weather in the Midwest. Really cold winters and really hot summers. But I like to be outside. I like to just experience something new and get out of the rink. I know one of the days we had off in San Jose this year while I was there, we took a train to San Francisco. That was super cool to see, but just getting outside and relaxing. Getting out of my everyday routine of being at the rink, taking in some fresh air, and spending time with friends.”
What stood out to you from your time in San Jose?
EF: “I thought it was beautiful, the area around San Jose. My entire life has been spent here in the Midwest. Not that it’s not beautiful here, but it’s just something completely different for me in California. I haven’t been able to experience stuff like the big rolling hills around, [they] look like mountains to me. Where I am, it’s just cornfields. Usually, they’re harvested, so you can’t even look at tall corn. I just thought it was a beautiful landscape and the great weather was awesome. Everyone seemed pretty friendly where I was, so I have that to look forward to.
If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be and why?
EF: “If I were a fruit, I would probably be an orange. I say that [because], when I was growing up especially, my favorite color was orange. The Moorhead Spuds, where I’m from, they’re orange. I also really love the taste.”
If you could build your perfect pizza, what would be on it?
EF: “This could upset some people. I would for sure have pepperoni, cheese, and marinara sauce. I wouldn’t go Alfredo or anything like that. I would have olives and onions on there, for sure. I love black olives. I know people either love them or hate them, so I’m sure that will be controversial, but if there’s pepperoni, onions, and olives on my pizza, that would be a great start.”
BEFORE A GAME, ARE YOU LISTENING TO MUSIC THROUGH HEADPHONES OR LISTENING TO WHATEVER’S ON IN THE ROOM?
EF: Whatever music’s playing. I’m a go-with-the-flow guy. I’m never going to be the aux specialist, but I’ll listen to whatever they got on. I’m not really a headphones guy. I will at home, or I’ll just have a speaker for myself but if I’m in the locker room, it’s whatever the aux guy’s got for me.
OKAY, BUT WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? TOP THREE ARTISTS OR SONGS?
EF: Oh, so I’m a big country guy. It’s going to be pretty basic with the first two guys. I like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. My third guy would be Cody Johnson. That probably would be my only curveball, but he’s getting famous now too.
One song recommendation out of those three, what would it be?
EF: ‘Til You Can’t by Cody Johnson. It’s got to be one of my favorite songs. I think everyone would probably like that song. I don’t see how that song can be disliked, honestly.
If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice heading into your senior year at UND, what would it be?
EF: One piece of advice I would give, and I thought I did this well, but I could have even done more, just savor the flavor. Take in the moment. Just knowing it would probably be my last year in college, take in every experience and not take anything for granted. I don’t really think I did that, but I don’t think you can ever take in the moment enough.
WHO DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE BEST ACTOR FROM LAST YEAR’S BARRACUDA TEAM?
EF: I think the best actor would probably be [Thomas] Bordeleau, honestly. I feel like he’s just got the personality for it and I think he can make a career out of it. I don’t know. He’s got that personality.
WHO WOULD BE THE WORST ACTOR?
EF: I think the worst actor if you’re talking about guys when I was there, would definitely be Vinny [Anthony Vincent].
Vincent previously named himself for this question as well.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR NEXT SEASON?
EF: I’m just looking forward to trying to prove myself. I’m really excited to take the next step to the professional level. I feel like I have something to prove and am excited about hopefully winning some games in San Jose.