SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Providence Bruins center Frank Vatrano has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 11, 2015.
Vatrano scored five goals in the first two games of the season, helping the Bruins earn three of a possible four points to begin the 2015-16 campaign.
In Providence’s opener vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night, Vatrano scored with 1:49 remaining in regulation, forcing overtime in a game eventually won by the Penguins, 2-1. He also tied a team-high with five shots on goal. Then on Sunday afternoon, Vatrano scored four times on six shots in the Bruins’ 6-4 win over Portland, becoming the first AHL player with a four-goal game in exactly one year. Vatrano’s first goal of the game came just seven seconds after the opening faceoff, and his third goal was the game-winner in the third period.
A 21-year-old native of East Longmeadow, Mass., Vatrano made his professional debut last season following his sophomore season at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where he tallied 18 goals and 10 assists in 36 games in 2014-15. Vatrano signed as a free agent with the Boston Bruins on Mar. 13, 2015, and tallied one goal in five games with Providence last spring.
In recognition of his achievement, Vatrano will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bruins home game.
