RANGERS ACQUIRE FRANK VATRANO
NEW YORK, March 16, 2022 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced today that the team has acquired forward Frank Vatrano from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The fourth-round pick Florida receives from the Rangers will be the later of the two fourth-round selections the Rangers own (either their own fourth-round pick or Winnipeg’s fourth-round pick).
Vatrano, 28, has recorded 10 goals and nine assists for 19 points in 49 games and has notched one power play goal with Florida this season. It is the fifth time in his career he has scored 10 or more goals in a season.
The East Longmeadow, Massachusetts native has skated in 379 NHL games, split between Florida and the Boston Bruins, registering 93 goals and 64 assists for 157 points. Last season with the Panthers, he led the team with a career-high seven game-winning goals, three overtime goals and 10 third period goals. In 2020-21, Vatrano ranked second on the team in shots (158), tied for second in even-strength goals (16) and tied for third in goals (18). During the 2018-19 campaign, he set career-highs in games played (81), goals (24) and points (39).
Vatrano has played in 14 career playoff games with Florida and Boston, collecting two goals and one assist for three points.
A 5-11, 197-pounder, Vatrano was acquired by Florida on February 22, 2018 after parts of three seasons with Boston. While with Boston’s American Hockey League (AHL) team, the Providence Bruins, he led the AHL in goals (36) in 2015-16, earning the league’s Willie Marshall Award as the top goal scorer in the AHL. He was named to the 2015-16 AHL First All-Star Team and 2015-16 AHL All-Rookie Team.
Internationally, Vatrano represented the United States at the IIHF World Championship on two occasions (2016, 2019).
Vatrano attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (2013-14 to 2014-15) where in 2014-15 he finished second on the team in scoring (28 pts) and first in goals (18). That same season, he ranked 10th in the Hockey East in goals scored, sixth in power-play goals (6) and first in shots on goal (194).
Vatrano was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Boston on March 13, 2015.