Frank Corrado

Frank Corrado (born March 26, 1993) is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in the National Hockey League (NHL). Corrado was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round, 150th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He signed a three-year entry level contract with the Canucks after a successful training camp. Corrado would spend 4 years within the Canucks organization before being claimed by the hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in October, 2015.

Junior

Corrado played with the Vaughan Kings minor midget AAA team in the GTHL during the 2008–09 season where he scored 15 goals and added 33 assists in 62 games. He was selected by the Sudbury Wolves in the second round, 25th overall, in the OHL Priority Draft.

In his rookie season in the Ontario Hockey League, Corrado played in 63 games, scoring 1 goal. He followed that up by playing 67 of 68 regular season games in the following season. His offensive output more than tripled as he registered 4 goals and 30 points. He then added another goal and four assists in eight playoff games.

Corrado was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round, 150th overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After a successful first NHL training camp with the Canucks, Corrado signed his 3-year entry level contract with the Canucks on September 23, 2011 before being returned to Sudbury.

Corrado with the Sudbury Wolves in 2010.

Corrado made his professional hockey debut on April 7, 2012 with the Chicago Wolves after Sudbury was eliminated from the OHL playoffs. Corrado appeared in four regular season games, registering one assist. He also played in two playoff games before Chicago was eliminated from the playoffs by San Antonio.

On January 8, 2013, Frank Corrado was traded from the Sudbury Wolves to the Kitchener Rangers. On April 15, 2013, Corrado was assigned to the Chicago Wolves.

Professional

Vancouver Canucks

On April 22, 2013, Corrado made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks. He logged 17:20 of ice time and had three hits. The Canucks kept Corrado for their opening round playoff sweep by the San Jose Sharks, thus eating the first year of his Entry Level Contract.

He scored his first career NHL goal on April 14, 2014 on a wrist shot against goaltender Karri Rämö of the Calgary Flames.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On October 5, 2015, the Canucks placed Corrado on waivers. He was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs the following day. When commenting on the matter, Corrado said it was a "dream come true" to play for his hometown team. Corrado would however remain a healthy scratch for 10 weeks, finally making his Toronto debut on December 15, 2015, in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning (Corrado had spent two weeks with the Marlies as part of a conditioning stint during this near 3-month span). This prolonged wait is likely attributed to the Maple Leafs' desire for Corrado to improve his strength in the gym, as well as an overabundance of defencemen on the roster.

On July 25, 2016, Corrado signed a 1-year, $600 000 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 2016–17 campaign again saw Corrado a frequent healthy scratch, though this time he saw even less playing time. Corrado had played just one game by the new year, admitting he was frustrated with his role as the team's "bench warmer." In mid December, Corrado made controversial comments stating that he wasn't playing because head coach Mike Babcock wasn't fond of him, though general manager Lou Lamoriello did comfort him on the situation. The comments brought return remarks from Babcock and significant fan and media attention to Corrado's situation, sparking a "Free Corrado" social media campaign. In an effort to received more playing time, he was loaned to the Marlies for a seven-game conditioning stint. Corrado would play one more game on January 19 (due to an injury to Morgan Rielly), but a poor performance resulted in him being a further healthy scratch. On February 4, following the acquisition of fellow right handed defenceman Alexei Marchenko via waivers, the Maple Leafs placed Corrado on waivers for the purpose of sending him to the AHL. General manager Lou Lamoriello stated he hoped Corrado was selected off waivers, saying he deserved an opportunity to play in the NHL. However, he cleared the following day.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Corrado played with the Marlies until the March 1 NHL Trade Deadline, where he was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Eric Fehr, Steven Oleksy and a 2017 fourth round pick. He was directly assigned to AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.