Frank Corrado

Francesco Corrado
Born	(1993-03-26) March 26, 1993 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Ice hockey player (retired), hockey broadcaster, television analyst
Years active	2008–2021
Known for	NHL defenseman for Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins; hockey analyst for TSN

Francesco Corrado (born March 26, 1993) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman. Selected 150th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Corrado made his NHL debut during the 2012–13 season. His career also included stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Following his retirement in 2021, Corrado embarked on a new path as a hockey broadcaster and television analyst, adopting the professional moniker "Frankie."

Junior

During the 2008–09 season, Corrado competed with the Vaughan Kings minor midget AAA squad in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, tallying 15 goals and 33 assists over 62 games. He was subsequently chosen 25th overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Draft.

In his inaugural OHL campaign, Corrado participated in 63 games, recording one goal. The next season, he appeared in 67 of 68 contests, boosting his statistics to four goals and 30 points, along with five points during the playoffs.

After being drafted by Vancouver in 2011, Corrado inked a three-year entry-level deal on September 23 but returned to Sudbury for further development. He made his professional debut on April 7, 2012, with the Chicago Wolves, contributing one assist across four regular-season games and appearing in two playoff matches.

On January 8, 2013, Corrado was traded from Sudbury to the Kitchener Rangers. He was reassigned to the Chicago Wolves on April 15, 2013.

Vancouver Canucks

Corrado debuted in the NHL on April 22, 2013, facing the Chicago Blackhawks, where he logged 17 minutes and 20 seconds of ice time and recorded three hits. The Canucks utilized him during their first-round playoff sweep against the San Jose Sharks, applying the initial year of his entry-level contract.

His first NHL goal came on April 14, 2014, when he scored with a wrist shot against goaltender Karri Rämö of the Calgary Flames.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On October 5, 2015, after being placed on waivers by Vancouver, Corrado was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs the following day. Joining his hometown franchise was described by Corrado as a "dream come true." Despite this, he remained a healthy scratch for approximately ten weeks before making his debut on December 15, 2015, in a 5–4 overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. During this period, he also spent two weeks with the Marlies on a conditioning assignment. His extended absence from play was likely due to Toronto’s focus on enhancing his physical strength amid a crowded defensive lineup.

Corrado agreed to a one-year contract worth $600,000 with Toronto on July 25, 2016.

Throughout the 2016–17 campaign, Corrado continued to experience limited playing time, featuring in only one game by midseason. Expressing frustration over his restricted role, he publicly suggested that head coach Mike Babcock did not favor him; however, general manager Lou Lamoriello showed support. This situation attracted media attention and led to a "Free Corrado" movement among fans. To secure more ice time, he was loaned to the Marlies for a seven-game conditioning stint. After playing one additional game on January 19, he was again sidelined following an underwhelming performance. On February 4, after acquiring defenseman Alexei Marchenko via waivers, Toronto placed Corrado on waivers intending to assign him to their AHL affiliate. Lamoriello expressed hope that another NHL team would claim Corrado so he could continue competing at the highest level; nevertheless, he went unclaimed and cleared waivers the next day.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Corrado remained with the Marlies until the NHL Trade Deadline on 1 March, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Eric Fehr, Steven Oleksy, and a fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft. He was then assigned to Pittsburgh's AHL team, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. On 7 December 2017, Corrado was called up to the NHL roster to fill in for the injured Justin Schultz. His stint with Pittsburgh was notably affected by various injuries.

Return to AHL

Following the conclusion of his contract with Pittsburgh, Corrado entered free agency and remained unsigned throughout the summer and into the start of the 2018-19 AHL season. He rejoined the Toronto Marlies on a one-year AHL contract signed on 22 October 2018.

For the 2019-20 AHL season, Corrado secured a professional tryout agreement with the Belleville Senators, the AHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators, on 26 October 2019. He subsequently earned a one-year AHL contract and participated in 36 games, contributing 10 assists before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

Europe

As an unrestricted free agent, Corrado signed a one-year deal with Swedish team Modo Hockey competing in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan on 1 June 2020. During the 2020–21 campaign, he tallied 4 goals and totaled 17 points over 34 contests, demonstrating his offensive capabilities from a defensive position.

On 10 May 2021, Corrado agreed to terms with Dinamo Riga of the KHL based in Latvia. However, after seven appearances, both parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract due to injury concerns.

Broadcast sports analyst

Upon retiring from professional play, Corrado transitioned into a hockey analyst role with Canadian sports broadcaster TSN.

Personal life

Corrado has Italian heritage and grew up supporting the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a 2021 interview, he affirmed that he continues to follow and root for the team despite his varied experiences there.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009–10	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		63	0	0	0	0		4	0	1	1	0
2010–11	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		67	4	26	30	94		8	1	4	5	8
2011–12	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		60	3	23	26	81		4	0	0	0	12
2011–12	Chicago Wolves	AHL		4	0	1	1	0		2	0	0	0	0
2012–13	Sudbury Wolves	OHL		41	6	21	27	44		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Kitchener Rangers	OHL		28	1	17	18	45		10	1	1	2	6
2012–13	Chicago Wolves	AHL		3	0	2	2	0		—	—	—	—	—
2012	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		3	0	0	0	0		4	0	0	0	0
2013–14	Utica Comets	AHL		59	6	11	17	46		—	—	—	—	—
2013	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		15	1	0	1	4		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Utica Comets	AHL		35	7	9	16	31		18	1	0	1	24
2014	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		10	1	0	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Toronto Marlies	AHL		7	0	3	3	2
2015	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		39	1	5	6	26
2016	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		2	0	0	0	6
2016–17	Toronto Marlies	AHL		18	1	11	12	14
2016–17	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		17	1	3	4	6		1	0	0	0	2
2016–17	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		2	0	0	0	2
2017–18	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	AHL		32	1	13	14	18
2017	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL		5	0	0	0	2
2018–19	Toronto Marlies	AHL		39	2	4	6	18
2019–20	Belleville Senators	AHL		36	0	10	10	18
2020–21	Modo Hockey			Allsvenskan 34||||4||||13||||17||||24||||—
2021–22		Dinamo Riga			KHL 7||||1||||2||||3||||2||||—
NHL totals !76				3	5	8	40 !4	۰		۰	۰	} External links