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New Jersey Devils: Goaltenders Who Didn’t Quite Live Up To Expectations

By David Lebovitz

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 10: Backup goaltender Jeff Frazee #31 of the New Jersey Devils stretches during pregame warmups prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Prudential Center on March 10, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 10: Backup goaltender Jeff Frazee #31 of the New Jersey Devils stretches during pregame warmups prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the Prudential Center on March 10, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Jeff Frazee

(Photo by City-Press via Getty Images)
(Photo by City-Press via Getty Images) /

Jeff Frazee was the goalie of the future. That future never came.

Frazee had an all time great tenure in the United States National  Team Development Program, posting a .932 sv%. The  Devils drafted him in the second round with high expectations.

Frazee took his talents first to the  Minnesota Golden Gophers. Through his first two seasons, he was solid. He’s best remembered for letting in a 195 foot goal on a misplayed clearing attempt. His third season in Minnesota was a mess that saw him lose his starting job, and he escaped the situation by signing a pro contract with the Devils in April 2008.

Frazee had a fantastic rookie season in 2008-09, playing in 58 games while sporting a .920 sv%. His play earned him on a spot in the 2009 AHL All Star Game. The Devils considered bringing him up as Brodeur’s backup for the 2009-10 NHL season. That all changed when he suffered a throat laceration during a minor league scrimmage in September of 2009. He was on the shelf for a month and never quite found his groove coming back.

His dreams of being an NHL backup in 2011-12 fizzled when the Devils signed Johan Hedberg. Frazee’s play deteriorated each season going forward. Hurting matters more was that he had to share the crease with new signees: Keith Kinkaid in 2011-12 and Scott Wedgewood in 2012-13. Both leapfrogged him in development and standing.

Frazee finally played in an NHL game on March 9, 2013. He appeared in relief of Hedberg for a period and stopped three shots against the Hurricanes. It was a great moment, but it felt too little, too late. He left North America at the end of the season and signed with Valpellice in Italy. He bounced around Europe for four seasons, including a turn with Esbjerg Energy where he helped them win the Danish Cup.

Frazee’s last pro season was with HDD Olimpija Ljubljana in Austria. After the season was over, in August 2017, Frazee sent an email to an Austrian newspaper claiming that someone from Czech club Orli Znojmo contacted him in February and offered him a bribe to throw a game. He reported it to his coach, and an internal investigation was launched before going silent. Orli Znojmo denied the accusations, but a probe was launched between Czech and Austrian authorities.

Frazee has been out of hockey since. According to his LinkedIn, he is now a loan coordinator for a mortgage company in Minnesota.

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