Mark Friedman
Friedman with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2018
Born (1995-12-25) December 25, 1995
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Vancouver Canucks
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Draft 86th overall, 2014
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 2017–present

Mark Isaac Friedman[1] (born December 25, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the 3rd round the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, the 86th overall pick of the draft. Prior to turning professional, Friedman played for the Bowling Green Falcons for three seasons where he was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and First Team All-WCHA.

Early life

Friedman was born on December 25, 1995, in Toronto, Ontario,[2] to parents Jeff and Joanne Friedman.[3] Ice hockey ran in Friedman's family: when his father and uncle played minor ice hockey, they had been coached by Friedman's grandfather.[4] Friedman began ice skating around the age of three and began playing hockey soon afterwards. He frequently ran into trouble at school, and he was known among his peers for his competitive nature in athletic competitions.[5] Friedman referred to himself as "a pretty feisty guy growing up", in part because he was physically smaller than many of his teammates and "had to stand out somehow".[6]

Friedman spent his adolescence in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) with the Don Mills Flyers, the same team for whom his father and uncle had played.[4] During the 2009–10 season, Friedman and the Flyers captured the Kraft Cup for the GTHL's regular-season champions. [7] That season, he scored 20 goals and 64 points in 85 games while recording 125 penalty minutes.[8] While still playing for Don Mills, Friedman joined the North York Rangers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) for two games during their 2010-11 season. The following season, he joined the Rangers in full, where he led the team's defencemen in scoring with nine goals and 27 points in 48 regular-season games.[9] He added an additional goal and three assists in four postseason OJHL games.[10]

Playing career

Junior

Friedman played for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL in 2012–14.[11] In 2014, he was named USHL Second All-Star Team.[12]

He was selected in the 3rd round the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, the 86th overall pick of the draft.[13]

NCAA

Prior to turning professional, Friedman played for the Bowling Green Falcons for three seasons on a full hockey scholarship.[14][15] At the conclusion of his freshman year, Friedman was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and the Falcons' co-Rookie of the Year.[1] Following his successful freshman campaign, Friedman was invited to the Flyers prospect and development camp before the 2015–16 season.[15] In his sophomore season, Friedman was named to the First Team All-WCHA.[16]

Professional

Philadelphia Flyers

Friedman signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers on March 21, 2017. He was reassigned to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.[17]

He made his NHL debut on April 6, 2019, vs. the Carolina Hurricanes.[18] On this date Friedman became the second Jewish player in Flyers history.[19]

In July 2020, Friedman and the Flyers agreed to a two-year, one-way contract extension, with an average annual value of $725,000.[20] Remaining on the Flyers roster for the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, Friedman made 4 appearances from the blueline before he was placed on waivers on February 23, 2021. On the following day, Friedman was claimed by Flyers' division rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, under the influence of the newly hired and former Flyers general manager, Ron Hextall.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On February 24, 2021, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall announced that they had claimed Friedman off of waivers.[21] He scored his first NHL goal against his former team in an eventual 4–3 loss and left the game early after a hit from Nolan Patrick.[22] Since joining the Penguins, Friedman has been vocal in his preference of Pittsburgh over Philadelphia, calling Philadelphia noisy and dirty.[23]

Vancouver Canucks

On October 17, 2023, Friedman was traded alongside Ty Glover to the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for Karel Plasek and Jack Rathbone.[24]

Personal life

Friedman is Jewish.[25][26] His paternal grandfather, Mark Friedman (for whom he was named), played golf for the University of Miami.[11][14]

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 64 8 27 35 44 5 2 3 5 2
2013–14 Waterloo Black Hawks USHL 51 10 30 40 30 12 0 7 7 4
2014–15 Bowling Green State University WCHA 39 2 17 19 75 — — — — —
2015–16 Bowling Green State University WCHA 42 6 17 23 40 — — — — —
2016–17 Bowling Green State University WCHA 40 8 18 26 28 — — — — —
2016–17 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 65 2 14 16 18 13 2 0 2 8
2018–19 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 75 5 21 26 68 — — — — —
2018–19 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2019–20 Lehigh Valley Phantoms AHL 45 3 15 18 30 — — — — —
2019–20 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 4 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
2020–21 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 5 2 1 3 5 — — — — —
2021–22 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 26 1 4 5 23 6 1 0 1 0
2021–22 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2022–23 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 24 1 5 6 19 — — — — —
2022–23 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 23 1 2 3 15 — — — — —
2023–24 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
NHL totals 65 4 8 12 49 6 1 0 1 0

Awards and honors

Award Year
College
WCHA All-Rookie Team 2014–15 [27]
All-WCHA First Team 2015–16 [28]
All-WCHA Third Team 2016–17 [29]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Mark Friedman". bgsufalcons.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Mark Friedman Stats and News". National Hockey League. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ Lungen, Paul (April 12, 2019). "Facing the NHL's bright lights". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Minuk, Susan (August 26, 2014). "Toronto teen taken by Flyers in NHL draft". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  5. ↑ Vensel, Matt (March 2, 2022). "Penguins' Mark Friedman, one of 'a long line of ornery Friedmans,' skates into the spotlight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  6. ↑ Getzoff, Josh (May 27, 2022). "Feisty Friedman". National Hockey League. Pittsburgh Penguins. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Team of the week: Don Mills Flyers". Toronto Star. February 11, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Mark Friedman". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ex-Ranger Friedman signs with NHL's Flyers". Ontario Junior Hockey League. North York Rangers. March 30, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Ice Hockey Signs Three to National Letters Of Intent". Bowling Green Falcons. November 26, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Mark Friedman – Ice Hockey". Bowling Green State University Athletics.
  12. ↑ "Mark Friedman Stats and News". NHL.com.
  13. ↑ "Mark Friedman – Elite Prospects". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  14. 1 2 Minuk, Susan (August 26, 2014). "Toronto teen taken by Flyers in NHL draft".
  15. 1 2 Riday, Tim (July 16, 2015). "On crowded defense, Mark Friedman not feeling any pressure". nbcsports.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  16. ↑ Gordon, Kevin (March 10, 2016). "Friedman, Nell named to All-WCHA first-team; Walker, Cooper also honored". bgsuhockey.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Flyers Sign D Mark Friedman to Entry-Level Contract". phantomshockey.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ Hall, Jordan (April 5, 2019). "Flyers call up Mark Friedman for 2018–19 regular season finale". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  19. ↑ Meltzer, Bill (April 6, 2019). "Bill Meltzer on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ Quigley, Ryan (July 13, 2020). "Flyers sign Mark Friedman to two-year contract extension". Broad Street Hockey.
  21. ↑ "Penguins claim defenseman Mark Friedman off waivers from Philadelphia". Pittsburgh Penguins. February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Flyers overcame early 3-goal deficit to stun Penguins 4-3". FOX Sports. Associated Press. March 5, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  23. ↑ Tabachnick, Toby (25 March 2021). "Penguin Mark Friedman happy to be on right side of cross-state rivalry". jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  24. ↑ "Penguins Acquire Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek from the Canucks in Exchange for Mark Friedman and Ty Glover". NHL.com. October 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ Minuk, Susan (August 26, 2014). "TORONTO TEEN TAKEN BY FLYERS IN NHL DRAFT". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  26. ↑ @BGFalconHockey (May 4, 2015). "Congratulations to Mark Friedman on being named an All-American by the Jewish Sports Report!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ "Awards – NCAA (WCHA) Rookie All-Star Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  28. ↑ "Awards – NCAA (WCHA) First All-Star Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  29. ↑ "Awards – NCAA (WCHA) Third All-Star Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
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