The Chicago Blackhawks may have a gem in Anton Frondell, whom they selected third overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He came to the NHL in the final few weeks of the season after a wonderful teenage season in Sweden.
Offensively speaking, Frondell had one of the best rookie years the SHL has ever seen. He was also a catalyst for Team Sweden en route to a Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships.
Advertisement
In the NHL, he showed no signs of a slow start in that regard either. He had 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 12 games played. For being 18 years old, it’s an incredible start to his NHL tenure. The sky is the limit for his point total in his true rookie season, which will be 2026-27.
When Frondell was first drafted, he made it clear that he emphasized being a two-way forward. He compared his play to that of Florida Panthers captain Sasha Barkov, who is one of the best two-way forwards in NHL history.
It’s a lofty goal for Frondell, but not one that he can’t strive for. Being a multi-time Stanley Cup-winning future Hall of Famer is not easy, but the Blackhawks would certainly like to see him become some fraction of that.
Frondell’s play without the puck was equally impressive in his first 12 NHL games. For most forwards, that is the hardest part in development. For Frondell, he showed signs of greatness in that regard. There will be walls, but if this is his floor, his ceiling is something for the organization to build around.
Advertisement
“He’s strong on his stick, smart, moves well, there’s a lot there,” head coach Jeff Blashill said of his young forward. “He’s going to be a good player.”
It’s one thing to be a great hockey player on your own in the NHL; it’s another to make others around you better. In his short stint, the latter was the reality for Anton Frondell.
Part of playing center, which Frondell did for most of the games to end the year after not playing it at all in Sweden, is being strong in all three zones. That is something that he is committed to working on during his summer training.
“I always want to improve my game, work hard, and get better,” Frondell said. “It’s the same feeling every year. But of course, now, I feel like I got a couple of games here to know what it feels like and what to work on. I would say playing as a center for a couple of games was new for me, because I didn’t play center for the whole year. I feel like if I want to play center next year or whenever, [I have to] keep working on that game.”
Advertisement
The Blackhawks have a lot of young, highly skilled forwards on the team and in the pipeline, but none of them are quite like Frondell in this aspect.
Connor Bedard’s offensive ceiling is higher than Frondell’s, but nobody will ever mistake him for a Selke Trophy candidate. Frondell may be one of those guys based on his current development path.
“[Frondell] looked great,” Bedard said of his newest teammate. “Just how he stepped in, obviously the skill’s there and stuff, but just how strong he is. He was playing pro in Sweden, but he’s beaten most NHL players in battles, winning pucks, just the little things, as well as how talented he is. I think he was almost a point per game, and I think he hit 100 posts as well. Just to see him next year after getting a taste of it and getting a summer to get ready, it’s going to be fun.”
When training camp begins in the fall, a lot of hype will surround Frondell’s rookie year as one of the Calder Trophy candidates. Before then, however, there is another chance to watch him play in meaningful games as he is headed to Switzerland to play for Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships.
Advertisement
There, he will have another opportunity to play against pro hockey players (including NHL players), where he will work on his skills as an offensive and defensive forward.
Image
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting on the article below on THN.com or by creating your own post in our community forum.
Read the full article here
