Aurora-born and raised NHL-er Morgan Frost has been traded by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Calgary Flames, to the dismay of at least one local Flyers fan.
Diehard Flyers fan Sam Saberi said the news was “bittersweet” but said he was happy to see Frost join a team that’s vying for the playoffs, adding he’d grown close with Frost’s father and had met the centre on several occasions in recent years.
“I have to go buy a Morgan Frost Calgary jersey now,” he said.
“I don’t have a second team but now I do,” he laughed. “I’ve always been a diehard Philadelphia Flyers and Eagles fan since I was born, because of my grandfather. But now since Morgan is a local boy, I’ve always got to support locals.”
“I’m all about Aurora pride, I’ll support them still 100 per cent,” he added.
The trade saw Frost and Joel Farabee head north, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2028 Draft, in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier.
"Morgan Frost is a centre, a natural centre, that we don't have," Calgary general manager Craig Conroy said in a statement to NHL. "Really nice playmaking. Great hands. Sees the ice. Vision. I watched him tonight on the power play. He made some real nice plays, quick one-touches. He can transport the puck up and get it in. He's going to help with that.
Frost grew up playing junior hockey in Aurora, with long-serving president of the Aurora Minor Hockey Association Joe Bentolila recalling the early day’s of Frost’s hockey career.
“He’s a great, great individual, good hockey player,” he said. “Obviously, a good fit for Calgary, they're a team that's doing quite well. So hopefully they'll find a good fit in Calgary for that. I'm sure with his skill set, I'm sure he'll be an asset for them.”
Bentolila said he was “honoured” when Frost came to his retirement party and they shared some fond memories.
“He's a great kid. He's a great, individual,” said Bentolila, recalling his conversation with Frost at Bentolila's retirement party. “We shared some great stories of way back when he was playing in minor hockey at a young age and some of the things, we chuckled about, which is really good. He's a down-to-earth player.”
After a stint in Aurora, Frost got picked up by the Barrie Jr. Colts and played two seasons in the Eastern AAA hockey league, before being drafted into to play for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League.
Frost was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NHL draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers currently sit second last in the metropolitan division of the NHL, whereas, Calgary sit fourth in the pacific division.