In his earliest years, Frank Ireland V hated hockey, or so he’s been told by his parents, Tracey Messina and Frank. He certainly doesn’t recall feeling that way.
In fact, the now-20-year-old forward from Longmeadow, Mass., loves the sport so much that he’s leaving his cozy corner of the country in New England and traveling to Texas to suit up for the Lone Star Brahmas in the North American Hockey League this season.
It’s the latest stop in his hockey journey, which until now mostly has been spent close to home.
Following in the footsteps of his father, who played for Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, Mass., and then for Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (formerly North Adams State College), Ireland started to play competitively once his fervor for hockey started to rise. After his initial steps on the ice at 3 years old, he suited up for the Tri-County Saints, and he later skated for the Boston Bandits, Boston Junior Terriers and Junior Bruins.
One of Ireland’s favorite hockey moments so far, in addition to attending the 2017 USA Hockey Boys Select 16 Player Development Camp and his initial experience playing for Lone Star, came with the Bandits when they participated in the 2014 Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament.
“We were a last-place team for a while, but then we blew up and beat a lot of good competition,” Ireland reminisced. “We played (2019 New Jersey Devils draft pick and Providence College right wing) Patrick Moynihan (Millis, Mass.) when he was on the Minuteman Flames, and (2019 Minnesota Wild draft pick and former Boston College left wing) Matt Boldy (Millis, Mass.) and (2019 Montreal Canadiens draft pick and Northeastern University defenseman) Jayden Struble (Cumberland, R.I.) when they were on the South Shore Kings. We beat the Kings, and that’s ultimately what sent us to the tournament.”
Ireland continued, “I remember playing in the Colisee Pepsi (Quebec City) and seeing the amount of fans that were there. We lost all of our games but one, an exhibition game, which we won in a shootout. One of my buddies and I scored. It was memorable.”
Each of Ireland’s coaches along the way has helped him grow and develop both his physical game and his mentality. Ireland particularly remembers the influence of Bandits bench boss Mark Jones and Sean Gaudet of the U-14 Terriers.
“Coach Jones taught me the details and how to both retain my skills and get better at them,” said Ireland, whose measurements are 5-foot-11, 185 pounds. “When I got to U-14, there were times when I struggled, so Coach Gaudet kept pushing me and telling me to keep going and stay confident in my game. If I made a bad play or had a bad shift, I focused on the next one.”
Ireland’s father also encouraged him, making an indelible mark on the young man’s mindset.
“My dad told me, “You have to do the hard work when people aren’t watching. You have to put in the extra time,’ ” Ireland said. “That was big. I’m not the tallest or strongest player, but when you’re going into battles you have to be the big dog.”
Ireland set out to be the alpha dog when he joined the Junior Bruins’ National Collegiate Development Conference club in the 2018-19 season. However, he quickly learned that before he could perform at his best, he had to overcome the toughest challenge of his budding hockey career so far — being a youngster on his club.
“My first year in the NCDC, I was, if not the youngest kid on the team, one of the youngest, and there were older guys who were a lot tougher, more skilled, stronger and a lot faster,” said Ireland, who recorded 18 points (12-6-18) in 41 regular-season games and one assist in eight playoff matches in his first NCDC year. “For most of the season, I was behind, just a straggler, not doing much. It was a big jump from U-16 to NCDC.”
Ireland credits Bruins head coach and general manager Mike Anderson for helping lift his spirits and his play.
“Coach Anderson always told me to stick with it,” Ireland explained. “No matter what happens, you’ll always face adversity with whatever team you’re on, whatever level of hockey you go to. I kept that in the back of my head and played through it. It ended up working out.”
The key to Ireland’s success was making plays at the right time and not forcing pucks into dangerous areas of the ice.
“Making the simple plays throughout my first year helped me a lot,” Ireland said. “Once I started getting the hang of playing in that league, it became easier.”
Ireland’s elevated play showed on the scoresheet as he totaled 37 points (15-22-37) in 48 games in his second NCDC season, then 48 points (28-20-48) in 42 regular-season matches and three goals in six playoff contests last campaign.
But lighting the goal light wasn’t all Ireland did in 2020-21. He took on additional responsibilities after being named captain.
Ireland said he learned about the leadership duties he had to perform as captain from a number of previous Bruins teammates who wore a letter on their jerseys. These include former captains Luke Rowe, whom Ireland called “the best captain that I’ve ever had,” Ryan Lovett (Franklin, Mass.) and John Mulera, as well as former alternate captain Zach Pellegrino (Madison, Conn.).
Said Ireland: “Those guys knew the game, knew what had to be done, showed me the way, showed me what needs to happen and showed me the style of play that needs to be done in big games.”
Armed with knowledge, Ireland didn’t feel a lot of weight on his shoulders while wearing the ‘C.’ With that said, he knew if the team was having a bad practice and the coaches weren’t thrilled with their performance, it was time to speak up.
“We didn’t want to keep the negatives,” Ireland asserted. “We wanted to build everybody up and have the positives going.”
Ireland considers himself “more of a physical leader and a vocal leader.” He remembers using his voice to rally his teammates on one particular occasion in March in the NCDC playoffs when the Bruins were trailing the Rockets Hockey Club in a semifinal game.
Revealed Ireland: “We weren’t doing too hot — we were losing by a few goals — so I told the group that we needed to refocus and get back to crashing the net, getting pucks deep, not to worry about the final score, and if we kept playing how we knew how to play it would work out for us.”
Unfortunately for Ireland and his teammates, it didn’t work out in the end, as the Rockets defeated the Bruins, 10-2, ending their championship quest.
“But we all came together in a big moment and tried,” Ireland noted.
With his time with the Bruins behind him, Ireland has his sights set on succeeding with the Brahmas. Prior to his journey to the South, the left-handed shooter had some expectations about what he would see in Texas.
“Before coming here, I expected to see cowboy hats, cowboy boots, jeans,” Ireland chuckled before continuing, “No … but it’s been a lot of fun down here. The weather is warmer than it is in New England.”
As far as what happens on the ice, Ireland acknowledges that the NAHL is a different beast than the NCDC and all of his previous stops. Regardless, he’s embracing the challenge.
“I know I’m not going to be the most skilled guy on the ice, but you have to play like a big guy and do the things that most people don’t want to do,” Ireland said. “So when pucks are in corners, you have to win those battles.”
Ireland feels this is the right time for him to play in the NAHL because he’s already done the most he could do and proven the most that he could in the NCDC.
“I want to take the next step,” Ireland said. “I know the NAHL is tougher and faster, so I want to see how I will do against that competition.”
One of the next goals Ireland wants to reach is securing a college commitment. And when college scouts come to watch him play, he wants them to walk away knowing a few things about him.
“For one, I’m a leader on and off the ice,” Ireland said. “And then on the ice, I have a little bit of everything. I work hard and have determination, and I also have the skill to compete.”
Ireland also wants to claim the NAHL’s top prize, the Robertson Cup.
“I’m the type of person who wants to win a championship, ultimately, at the end of the day,” Ireland declared. “I’m one of those key players who in big moments can finish the job.”
Time will tell if Ireland and the Brahmas lift the trophy. As for what’s already been proven? Those days when Ireland hated hockey are long gone.
This article appeared in the print edition of the September/October 2021 New England Hockey Journal magazine.
