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Cody Franson

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Cody Franson
Franson with the Nashville Predators in 2009
Born (1987-08-08) August 8, 1987 (age 37)
Sicamous, British Columbia, Canada
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Nashville Predators
Toronto Maple Leafs
Brynäs IF
Buffalo Sabres
Chicago Blackhawks
Avangard Omsk
NHL draft 79th overall, 2005
Nashville Predators
Playing career 2007–2022

Cody Franson (born August 8, 1987) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He most recently played for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). Franson was drafted in the third round, 79th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Franson has also played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks.

Playing career

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Minor

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Franson played minor hockey for the Sicamous Eagles in Sicamous, British Columbia. During the 2003–04 season, Franson played junior 'B' hockey with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, a team based out of Fruitvale, British Columbia, in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Nitehawks won the KIJHL championship the year Franson played on the team.[1]

Junior

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Franson went undrafted in the 2002 WHL Bantam Draft. Nevertheless, the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League (WHL) offered him a tryout and Franson was successful in making the team.[2] He played full-time for the Giants starting in the 2004–05 season, where he put up 13 points. Franson then improved to 55- and 51-point campaigns with the Giants in the next two seasons, respectively. In 2006, he helped lead the Giants to the President's Cup as WHL champions, earning a berth in the 2006 Memorial Cup. He then recorded the only hat-trick of the tournament and led all defencemen in scoring, with five points in five games. In the subsequent off-season, Franson signed an entry-level contract with the Predators in July 2006, the organization that drafted him in the third round, 79th overall, in 2005.[3] The next year, he was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team[4] and was nominated for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the League's top defenceman, although the Trophy was ultimately awarded to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers.[5] After falling to Medicine Hat in the 2007 WHL Final, Franson and the Giants captured the 2007 Memorial Cup as tournament hosts, defeating the Tigers in the final.

Professional

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Nashville Predators

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In the 2007–08 season, Franson turned professional and was assigned to the Predators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He tallied 36 points in his rookie season in Milwaukee.

On October 17, 2009, Franson played in his first NHL game against the Washington Capitals, notching a single shot on goal.[6] Later that week, on October 22, Franson scored his first career NHL goal against Pascal Leclaire of the Ottawa Senators.

Toronto Maple Leafs

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On July 3, 2011, Franson, along with forward Matthew Lombardi, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney.[7] During the subsequent 2011–12 season, Franson played 57 games for the Maple Leafs, scoring 21 points and finishing with a plus-minus rating of –1.

On October 1, 2012, Franson signed a contract with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Elitserien due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout. On January 13, 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Toronto as a restricted free agent. On May 13, Franson scored two goals for the Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, a game Toronto eventually lost 5–4 in overtime.

On July 21, 2014, Franson and the Maple Leafs agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $3.3 million.[8]

Return to Nashville

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Franson suited up for 55 games for the Maple Leafs during the 2014–15 season, recording six goals and 32 points. On February 15, 2015, Franson was traded back to the Predators, along with Mike Santorelli, in exchange for Olli Jokinen, Brendan Leipsic and a first-round draft pick.[9] This marked both Santorelli's and Franson's second tenure with Nashville. Franson skated in 23 games with the Predators to close out the season. He also appeared in five postseason games, recording two assists.

Buffalo Sabres

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Despite being ranked as one of the top free agents available during the offseason, Franson did not sign a contract until September 10, 2015 when he signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres worth $6.6 million total.[10] Over his two seasons with the Sabres, entrenched in a top four role, Franson appeared in 127 games for 36 points but was unable to help the rebuilding club make the post-season.

Chicago Blackhawks

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On September 7, 2017, Franson agreed to attend the Chicago Blackhawks' training camp on a professional tryout agreement.[11] On October 4, the Blackhawks signed Franson to a one-year, $1 million contract.[12] Franson spent the majority of the season in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs, registered 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) and placed second among team defenseman with 15 power-play points (six goals, nine assists) in 37 games, earning him team Defenseman of the Year award honors.

In the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, Franson helped the IceHogs reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history, collecting 13 points in 13 games and finished second among AHL defensemen in the postseason.

Avangard Omsk

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On September 5, 2018, Franson signed his first overseas contract, joining Avangard Omsk of the KHL.[13] Over the duration of his tenure with Avangard, Franson was productive from the blueline, registering 43 points in 98 regular season games.

Return to North America

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As a free agent from his stint in Russia, and with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Franson opted to return to North America, agreeing to a one-year AHL contract with his former club, the Rockford IceHogs, on September 23, 2020.[14] As an alternate captain for the IceHogs in the 2020–21 season, Franson added an offensive presence from the blueline in posting 4 goals and 17 points in 26 games of the shortened season.

On July 22, 2021, Franson left the IceHogs as a free agent and continued playing in the AHL, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Hershey Bears, the primary affiliate of the Washington Capitals.[15]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Sweden

Franson was a part of Canada men's national junior ice hockey team during the 2007 World Junior Championship. He helped the team win a gold medal in Sweden by recording two assists.[16]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2002–03 Sicamous Eagles KIJHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2002–03 Vancouver Giants WHL 3 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2003–04 Beaver Valley Nitehawks KIJHL 48 9 22 31 60 — — — — —
2003–04 Trail Smoke Eaters BCHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — —
2003–04 Vancouver Giants WHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2004–05 Vancouver Giants WHL 64 2 11 13 44 4 0 1 1 0
2005–06 Vancouver Giants WHL 71 15 40 55 61 18 5 15 20 12
2006–07 Vancouver Giants WHL 59 17 34 51 88 19 3 4 7 10
2007–08 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 76 11 25 36 40 6 0 2 2 2
2008–09 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 76 11 41 52 47 11 3 5 8 8
2009–10 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 6 2 5 7 4 — — — — —
2009–10 Nashville Predators NHL 61 6 15 21 16 4 0 1 1 2
2010–11 Nashville Predators NHL 80 8 21 29 30 12 1 5 6 0
2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 57 5 16 21 22 — — — — —
2012–13 Brynäs IF SEL 26 3 4 7 10 — — — — —
2012–13 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 45 4 25 29 8 7 3 3 6 0
2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 79 5 28 33 30 — — — — —
2014–15 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 55 6 26 32 26 — — — — —
2014–15 Nashville Predators NHL 23 1 3 4 2 5 0 2 2 0
2015–16 Buffalo Sabres NHL 59 4 13 17 26 — — — — —
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 68 3 16 19 34 — — — — —
2017–18 Chicago Blackhawks NHL 23 1 6 7 8 — — — — —
2017–18 Rockford IceHogs AHL 37 9 19 28 10 13 6 7 13 9
2018–19 Avangard Omsk KHL 54 5 22 27 20 19 4 14 18 4
2019–20 Avangard Omsk KHL 44 3 13 16 18 6 1 4 5 2
2020–21 Rockford IceHogs AHL 26 4 13 17 12 — — — — —
2021–22 Hershey Bears AHL 62 9 26 35 14 3 0 0 0 4
NHL totals 550 43 169 212 202 28 4 11 15 2
KHL totals 98 8 35 43 38 25 5 18 23 6

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Canada WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 2 2 2
Junior totals 6 0 2 2 2

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Cody Franson". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Player Alumni - Giants in the NHL". VancouverGiants.com. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Predators sign defenseman Franson". Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2006.
  4. ^ "WHL Announces 2006-07 All-Star Teams". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  5. ^ "WHL Announces 2006-07 Award Finalists". Western Hockey League. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  6. ^ "Ovechkin nets two goals, the scores OT winner versus Predators". TSN. 2009-10-18. Retrieved 2009-10-18.
  7. ^ "Leafs acquire Lombardi and Franson in swap". NHL.com. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  8. ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (21 July 2014). "Toronto Maple Leafs sign defenceman Cody Franson to one-year deal". National Post. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  9. ^ "Leafs trade Santorelli, Franson to Predators". MapleLeafsHotStove.com. 2015-02-15. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  10. ^ "Sabres sign Franson". Buffalo Sabres. 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  11. ^ Lazerus, Mark (7 September 2017). "Blackhawks sign veteran defenseman Cody Franson to PTO". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  12. ^ "Blackhawks sign defenceman Cody Franson to one-year deal". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Cody Franson: Signs two-year pact with Russian club". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  14. ^ "Cody Franson returns to club for 2020-21 season". Rockford IceHogs. September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bears sign veteran Cody Franson". Hershey Bears. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Bob (December 23, 2011). "NHLers recall warm world junior memories". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
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