Mitch Fritz was born on November 24, 1980 in Osoyoos, British Columbia. Following a junior career with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, Fritz embarked on a professional career that saw stops in Lowell, Tallahassee, Saint John, Columbus, Milwaukee, Worcester, Columbus, Springfield and Bridgeport of the AHL and ECHL respectively.
In 20052006, Fritz was awarded the AHL Man of the Year award for outstanding service in the Springfield, MA community, while playing for the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons.
On October 30, 2008, Fritz made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. In all he would appear in 20 games for the Islanders during 2008-09, accumulating 42 minutes in penalties and taking on some of the NHL's toughest enforcers.
