NHL / AHL SCOUTING REPORT
Winkler ’ s Byron Froese :
Scouting A Hidden Gem
For Everett Silvertips scout Doug Sinclair , Winkler ’ s 25-year-old Byron Froese was a hidden gem , “ in every sense of the word ,” at the start of his career . He was your classic late bloomer , a guy who spent three seasons in the WHL and even played in the ECHL to keep his career alive . Last season , he played 56 games with the NHL ’ s Toronto Maple Leafs and although he was – surprisingly -- sent to the AHL after a solid Leafs training camp , he ’ s battled his way back and was called up by the Leafs in late December . Sinclair calls Froese “ a character player ,” and he tells Game On readers why .
By Doug Sinclair , as told to Scott Taylor Photos by Jeff Miller and Graig Abel
Byron Froese is a kid we ’ d call a “ late-bloomer ,” but for me as a scout , there was just something about him that always kept drawing me back . In his Western Hockey League Bantam Draft year -- before the advent of Manitoba regional bantam AAA programs -- Byron played for the Bantam AA Winkler Flyers . I ’ d seen his team play several times that season and it was a decent team , but nothing to get too excited about . I guess you could say Byron was the same way . He didn ’ t have the obvious package and he wasn ’ t flashy , but he did all the little things well and that caught my attention . He was definitely a player you had to watch at length in order to appreciate what he brought to the rink . At the Bantam level , he didn ’ t have much size , he was not a prolific scorer and he didn ’ t have blazing speed . In fact , he was pretty average in all of those areas , but he did a lot of things consistently well . Then , at the rural provincials that year , he turned in a rock solid performance . He never turned over pucks , he made smart , simple plays , he was great in the face-off circle , he was very good on the penalty kill , he was solid in both ends of the rink and he scored a point or two . Of course , that seemed to be the way he was every time I saw him play . He was Mr . Consistency . That ’ s definitely what he became as a junior and professional player and that ’ s what he still is to this day . And that consistency was probably the reason for his second career call-up to the Toronto Maple Leafs
68 GAME ON 2016 - 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION