SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that Providence Bruins center Frank Vatrano has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Mar. 6, 2016.

Vatrano scored four more goals and added an assist in three games last week as Providence earned five of a possible six standings points against their closest Atlantic Division rivals.

On Friday evening, Vatrano scored once and was credited with a game-high 10 shots on goal in the Bruins’ 4-3 overtime loss to Bridgeport. On Saturday in Portland, he picked up an assist as Providence earned a 3-1 victory. And in Sunday’s back end of the home-and-home with the Pirates, Vatrano became just the third player in AHL history to score three unassisted goals in a single game, completing his third hat trick of the season with the winning goal in a 4-3 overtime decision over the Pirates.

Vatrano leads the American Hockey League with 29 goals despite appearing in just 28 games for Providence this season, a remarkable pace that has seen him go scoreless in back-to-back games on only one occasion all year. The 21-year-old native of East Longmeadow, Mass., is also pacing all AHL rookies in power-play goals (12) and shots on goal (145), and ranks fourth on the Bruins in points (41) while owning a team-leading plus-13 rating as well. Vatrano, a product of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, signed as a free agent with Boston on Mar. 13, 2015, and made his NHL debut earlier this season, registering six goals and one assist in 30 games for the parent Bruins.

In recognition of his achievement, Vatrano will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Bruins home game.

Also see: Previous winners, CCM/AHL Player of the Week

