Mark Fraser

Mark Fraser (born September 29, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League.

Playing career
Fraser played junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League from 2004–06. After his first season with Kitchener, he was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he played his first professional games, joining the AHL Albany River Rats for four games. He played his first full professional season in 2006–07 with the Lowell Devils, and he played seven games for the New Jersey Devils as well. He remained with Lowell until 2009–10, when he made the New Jersey roster out of training camp. He scored his first NHL goal on October 24, 2009, against Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

On October 24, 2009 Mark Fraser, a young vibrant defenseman from Blackburn Hamlet scored his first National Hockey League (NHL) goal against the young prodigy Marc-André Fleury. Mark Fraser, who turned 23 in September, is presently establishing his place in Jacques Lemaire’s line-up. After three seasons with the Lowell Devils, the 6.3 ft 220 lbs athlete is establishing himself as a solid stay at home defenseman with the New Jersey Devils. After a year or so in the Central Junior A Hockey League with the Gloucester Rangers, Fraser was looking to go south to the United States to play university hockey; however he received an interesting offer from the Kitchener Rangers which he in turn accepted. In 2004, Fraser joined the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and worked his way through the minors with Kitchener. A year later, his hard working style earned him the captaincy after Michael Richards left the team. Fraser’s turn to leave Kitchener would come only one season after receiving the ``C`` when he was drafted in the 3rd round, 84th overall by the Devils. Fraser, who was not scared to use his fists, quickly proved himself as a strong defensive player in American Hockey League (AHL). His aggressive style was quickly noticed by Ottawan Claude Julien, the Devils head coach at the time. Julien was interested in Fraser’s grit and intensity and called him up to play in 2006 after the devils suffered a few injuries on the blue line. Fraser played 7 NHL games, one in which he stood his ground against the renowned fighter Chris Simon. Following the return of the players from the infirmary Fraser made his way back to the AHL after a little taste of the big leagues.

In 2007 began the Sutter era in New Jersey, during this time Fraser would be ignored by the head coach of the Devils. Regardless, Fraser continued to play hard in the AHL suiting up for 79 games in 07-08. Once again Fraser’s leadership would be recognized by the team as he was awarded the title of alternate captain; indeed the end crowns the work. Due to his steady progression in the AHL, Fraser was awarded with a couple of pre-season games in 2009. During these games he stood strong on the blue line and even dropped the gloves a few times with a notable victory over Rangers grinder Aaron Voros. On October 24, 2009 Fraser’s hard work was awarded with a spot on the starting line up. While all eyes were on Martin Brodeur, who was attempting to tie Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record, Fraser scored his first NHL goal.

Transactions

 * June 30, 2005 - Drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 3rd round, 84th overall.