Penguins A to Z: Jordan Frasca made progress, but only incrementally

With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2023-24 season coming to an end without any postseason action, TribLive will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 51 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from fourth-line center Noel Acciari to reserve winger Radim Zohorna.

This series is scheduled to be published every weekday leading into the second day of the NHL Draft on June 29.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)

Jordan Frasca

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 190 pounds

2023-24 AHL statistics: Three games, zero points (zero goals, zero assists)

2023-24 ECHL statistics: 40 games, 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists)

2023-24 ECHL postseason statistics: Seven games, one point (zero goals, one assist)

Contract: In the second year of a three-year, entry-level contract with a salary cap hit of $859,167. Pending restricted free agent in 2025.

(Note: Frasca is exempt from waivers for any assignments to a minor league affiliate.)

Acquired: Unrestricted free agent signing, March 1, 2022

This season: For more than 15 seasons, the Penguins have dealt away fairly high draft picks to add the likes of Gary Roberts, Marian Hossa, Jordan Leopold, Marcel Goc, Justin Schultz, Derrick Brassard and others in the name of winning “now.”

While that approach was largely successful as it led to the franchise’s three most recent Stanley Cup banners, it left the pool of future assets limited and as a result, the Penguins have been typically aggressive in the undrafted free agent market.

Sometimes, they have landed the likes of eventual NHLers such as Zach Aston-Reese, Drew O’Connor or Conor Sheary. Other times, they wound up with the likes of journeymen along the lines of Jonathan D’Aversa, Ty Glover or Josh Maniscalco.

The jury is still out on Jordan Frasca, but in the latter stages of his second professional season, he looks as though he is bound to wind up in the latter group of players.

Things did not start well at all for Frasca going into 2023-24. After skating for the Penguins in the prospect challenge event staged in Buffalo during the late stages of summer, Frasca wasn’t even invited to the team’s NHL training camp and reported to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s camp on Sept. 30.

Only 10 days later, Frasca was assigned to Wheeling and spent most of the season with the Nailers.

(Note: Frasca was shuffled between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Wheeling a handful of times over the next few months but did not play in any additional AHL contests.)

Primarily serving as a second-line center, Frasca opened the season on a strong note as he scored points in his first five games of the season and posted 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in his first seven contests overall.

The high point of that surge — and season — came during a 7-4 home win against the Reading Royals on Nov. 5 when he recorded a hat trick and an assist.

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That quick start led to a promotion to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 14 and Frasca played his only three American Hockey League games in an unremarkable fashion, primarily serving as a fourth-line center before being sent back to Wheeling by Nov. 29.

Continuing to steadily produce, Frasca’s season was interrupted by an undisclosed injury in mid-January that sidelined him for 17 games.

After his recovery, Frasca’s production never returned to the level he established in the first weeks of the season. In his final 15 games of the regular season, Frasca only generated nine points (two goals, seven assists).

In the postseason, Frasca has dressed for seven of eight games. Primarily deployed as a third-line center, Frasca has one assist. The Nailers are facing elimination on Friday in Game 4 of the Central Division final as the Toledo Walleye lead the best-of-seven series, 3-0.

The future: Given that Frasca wasn’t even invited to the NHL training camp and that he only appeared in only three AHL games this season (despite Wilkes-Barre/Scranton dealing with a pockmarked lineup), it’s fair to assume Penguins management doesn’t seem to have high aspirations for him.

Frasca was signed by former general manager Ron Hextall’s regime, and if there were any legitimate hopes he could ever be a threat to reach the NHL, they left when Hextall was fired in April of 2023.

Current management, under president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas, doesn’t appear too impressed by what Frasca has to offer.

To be fair, he did produce at a better clip in 2023-24 than he did as a first-year professional with the Nailers in 2022-23 when he posted 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 36 games.

So, he made progress. But only incrementally.

He’ll need to show so much more in 2024-25 if he is to remain with the organization.

Follow the Penguins all season long.