Steve: Frank, let’s start out with where you were born and where you grew up.

Frank: Sure. I was actually born in Toronto, Canada. I was raised there until about 12. My dad’s business expanded to California and I moved there when I was 12. I started hockey when I was about eight years old and started skating when I was about three. I played hockey about eight until now.

Steve: So you are a Canadian citizen?

Frank: I am a dual citizen.

Steve: Toronto is a great town. Our whole family visited there a couple years ago and we did a hockey vacation and just, you know, took in all the hockey stuff. They were great people. So what do you think about growing up playing hockey in Toronto, Canada, a hockey hot spot, and coming to California?

Frank: At first it was really different, but you can see the progression over the years. In California it is just developing gradually with all the people that are coming out of there. There are just so many stars now that you are seeing in the spotlight that are from California. Before, it was like, California? Like where is that? A lot of people didn’t even know if they had ice there. But, yeah, they are really working on it. Of course, because of the weather, people play a lot of football, basketball and stuff like that. But hockey is really growing in California.

Steve: That is what when I have interviewed Noah Clarke and Garrett Stafford and talked to their parents, saying that obviously there are so many people in California. It is the size of a country alone, and sooner or later California is going to take over hockey, it seems like.

Frank: Yeah.

Steve: Is that your feeling too?

Frank: Yeah, I think so too because it makes them have to work ten times harder to develop their programs. The interest is growing and that’s what is important for the kids. The interest is out there, and like you are saying, there are a lot of kids out there. If they just get interested in hockey and, you know, who knows what could happen.

Steve: So you came to California and tell me about some of the teams you played for in California.

Frank: In California I played for the Junior Ducks, a bantam AAA team. And I played for a Team California Select Team. It was a AAA team that we just went and traveled around Canada and went to various tournaments. Actually, my junior year of high school I went back to Canada and I went to prep school. I went to St. Michael’s College where Eric Lindross and the Lindross Brothers and a lot of good hockey players came out of there. I played there for a year. I played midget AAA for the Toronto Red Wings for a year. My parents were concerned about the fact that in Canada it is a five year high school.

Steve: I didn’t know that.

Frank: Yeah. It’s an OAC year, grade 13.

Steve: Okay.

Frank: So my parents would like it better if I graduated in four years. So if I decided to go to college or would receive a scholarship, I could go and have a high school diploma. So that is what we did. I came back to California for a year and I played for the Long Beach Junior Ice Dogs, which is a midget AAA team. We went to a lot of tournaments; it was just a travel team. We went to all the big tournaments.

Steve: Did you play with any Buccaneers or against them?

Frank: I played against Josh Roach, Felipe Larranaga. Actually, I was an all star at a tournament in Sault Ste. Marie and that’s where I met Felipe.

Steve: So how did you end up with the Buccaneers then?

Frank: Garrett Stafford and Noah Clarke are friends of mine. When I came back to California, they were just telling me about the Buccaneers. So I just decided, you know, actually I was protected by the Thunder Bay Flyers and they wanted me to play down there. But before I went up there, I came to Des Moines cause I wanted to see how, you know, get a feel of things. I just loved it here when I first came here and I just said, you know, I want to play here. So I told Thunder Bay I didn’t want play there, and it took awhile for them to release me, but finally they did and Coach Owens gave me the spot. I was really happy about that.

Steve: So how did you know Garrett and Noah then?

Frank: Well, they are from California. When we played pick up hockey or like various things around there, and you just see them around. I talked to them and they became friends of mine after speaking to them for a couple of years.

Steve: Now you are with the Bucs. How much eligibility do you have to play with the Bucs?

Frank: I just turned 18 so I guess I can play until I am 20. I have three years left.

Steve: If you wanted to.

Frank: If I wanted to, yeah.

Steve: Do you have any plans?

Frank: Hopefully to achieve a college scholarship. I have been talking to a couple of schools but I am just waiting. Next year I think will be my bigger year than this year. But like, you know, you have Matt Carney who is just playing unbelievable. As long as I’m a part of the team, as long as we’re winning, just being part of the whole thing is enough for me right now.

Steve: Have you always played goalie then?

Frank: Yeah, I have. Always.

Steve: What is the best thing about playing goalie?

Frank: I don’t know. A lot of people ask me that and I just, sometimes, I don’t know. Actually, I became a goalie cause I couldn’t skate when I was a kid. So my dad said, "Oh well, you can’t skate too much. Just be a goalie." I was like, oh, I hate goalie my first year and then I played to become a player but I never did. I just became a goalie. It is just the thrill I guess to have all the pressure on your wide and a lot of gratitude you get for coming up big in pressure situations.

Steve: Well, then with those type of situations, have you had any like great moments that you remember that stand out, or vice versa, anything embarrassing things that have happened?

Frank: I would say a great thing was when I played in Canada. Our school was looking for a title that they hadn’t won in 12 years and I helped them win it, and I was the MVP. I was all metro team and all city team and stuff, so it was really cool. Just to be part of it, just the championship, you know, that they had been looking for. My first year to come in and do it, it was really cool.

Steve: Any embarrassing things?

Frank: There’s a lot of embarrassing things that happened. I don’t know, it’s just a lot of. People play a lot of tricks on me with my equipment. They just put a lot of weird things in my equipment, like shaving cream. They just put a lot of tape on my skates and when I go out there I fall. I don’t know, it’s really cool. Just stuff with the team. The guys think it’s funny.

Steve: Do you have a nickname?

Frank: Let me see. People call me Elmo because I wear a shirt under my equipment of the Sesame Street character Elmo, and so everybody calls me Elmo. I guess that would be my nickname.

Steve: So you say you plan to go to college. Do you have any specific interests in college that you are thinking of majoring?

Frank: I am actually going to pursue business because my dad followed the business route, so I would like to do that as well. Business administration, maybe some advertising.

Steve: If somebody gave you a million dollars after taxes, what would you do?

Frank: Probably go out and buy a new car because my car that I have in Des Moines, which was given by Terry. It’s a really nice car but it’s just really old. Everybody knows it cause it’s just the worse car on the street. I would probably buy a new car, a new house, give some to my family. They give me so much so.

Steve: What other hobbies do you have?

Frank: I play basically every sport. I played a lot of lacrosse when I was in Canada. Basketball, I played football my senior year in high school. But hockey has been my real passion. I really didn’t have time to play any other sport because I had to choose because of conflicting schedules. I always wanted to play hockey cause it was the best, so I will take it as far as I can.

Steve: Great! Do you have anything else you would like to tell the fans?

Frank: Oh, yeah! The fans in Des Moines are great. Their support is just like awesome. I think the reason why I play so well is because of the fans here. They are on my side all the time and they are great people. That is why I love it here so much. You know, everybody is just really friendly and I never felt out of place when I came here. They just made me feel at home and I love it here.

Steve: Great! Thank you very much.

Frank: Oh, thank you.

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