Preseason hockey can be a slog and it’s hard to glean much from ever-rotating lineups and the limited action for star players. But if there was one notable observation across the league this preseason, it might have been the play of Calgary’s Morgan Frost.

The 27-year-old centre and former first-round pick was traded to Calgary by way of Philadelphia late last season, part of a multi-player swap that also included winger Joel Farabee. It was an opportunity for Frost and Farabee to reset and show that their relatively average production in Philadelphia had just as much to do with their environment and team structure as their own individual failings.

Getting traded mid-season can be difficult for any player, and Frost’s 32-game stretch in Calgary looked a lot like seasons past in Philadelphia, with just 12 points in 32 games. At some point, the first-round pick pedigree washes away, and your production — which includes a high-water mark of 46 points in 2022-23 — better defines your capabilities.

But with a full training camp in Alberta under his belt, Frost immediately flashed all over the tape this preseason. Playing chunks of minutes with right winger Matt Coronato, Frost led the preseason in scoring with seven points (including five helpers).

Perhaps more notably, Calgary outscored the opposition by five goals at even strength with him deployed, an encouraging first step:

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Betting on “late bloomers” is typically a losing wager, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s an impossible outcome. Far from it. Players like Seattle’s Chandler Stephenson (previously in Vegas), former Ottawa Senators winger Mike Hoffman, and New York Rangers centre J.T Miller (previously in Vancouver) all saw major production surges in their late 20s and onward.

In these situations and others not referenced here, the breakout was the result of a meaningful change in environment and line structure. Surely to see minutes inside of Calgary’s top six this season, Frost should get regular time with the aforementioned Coronato and Farabee, as well as veterans Jonathan Huberdeau and Blake Coleman.

Calgary doesn’t have the personnel just yet to scare the league’s elite, but this should be enough comparable talent around Frost to stress test what he can do. And there are historical signs this may matter a ton.

Consider Frost’s three most regular linemates on an otherwise brutal Flyers team from 2022-25: Owen Tippett, Travis Konecny, and Farabee. When he was deployed with Tippett and Konecny, the Flyers dominated. And when he was deployed with Farabee, the Flyers did not — in part because of a staggeringly bad 86 per cent stop rate in net behind them.

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Frost has two years left on his current deal; that’s two years to show he’s more than the player we saw in Philadelphia, especially from an offensive production profile. And while I think a breakout year may be upon us here, all things are relative.

Frost may never be the freakish scorer we once saw with the Soo Greyhounds, where he topped the 100-point mark twice, but a career year and beating that single-season 46-point threshold appears to be on the board.

But now it’s time to prove it. He’ll get his first crack on Wednesday night as the Battle of Alberta kicks off Calgary’s regular season.

Data via Natural Stat Trick, NHL.com, Evolving Hockey

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