Jason Fram added 15 pounds of muscle over the summer to give the Spokane Chiefs some extra heft among their defensemen. Fram learned the value of extra work from his parents, both of whom came to Canada from other countries. Read story

Fram praised the improvement of Chiefs goalie Eric Williams, who leads the Western Hockey League in goals-against average.

"(Williams) has made tremendous leaps," Fram said. "He was a good goaltender before, but now he’s proving he’s one of the best, if not the best, with his numbers. Obviously, we’re trying to do our best job to block shots and help him out when he needs it. But he’s also been there to bail us out for our shortcomings, whenever we’re missing guys, letting guys through, he’s always been there."

Fram said every Chiefs player is trying to chip in to make up for the graduation of Brenden Kichton, last year's team leading scorer and WHL Defenseman of the Year.

"There are holes to be filled, but I wouldn’t say I’m trying to take over (Kichton’s) role," Fram said. "It’s a whole group effort."

Until Jason started playing hockey, the only hockey fans in his family were his father's grandparents.

"For the most part (my parents) just wanted to see where it went, see how far I got," he said .. "At first it just started out as, let’s do it for fun and see how far it goes."

Fram would like to play five years with the Chiefs, saying, "It’s up to me with the way I play, but at the same time it’s kind of up in the air."

---

---