Anton Frondell, Blackhawks’ 2025 first-round pick, set to debut against Islanders
The Anton Frondell era is here. The Chicago Blackhawks officially recalled Frondell from Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He is expected to make his debut on Tuesday...
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Anton Frondell era is here. The Chicago Blackhawks officially recalled Frondell from Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He is expected to make his debut on Tuesday when the Blackhawks face the New York Islanders .
Frondell, 18, was the third-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and signed his entry-level contract in July, but was loaned to Djurgårdens for their season, which ended with a playoff loss on Saturday. He put together an impressive season in the SHL, becoming just the fourth 18-year-old to score 20 goals in the league’s history, joining Thomas Sandstrom, Markus Naslund, and hockey hall-of-famer Daniel Sedin. He also helped Team Sweden win the gold medal in the World Junior Championships in January, scoring five goals and adding three assists in seven games, earning the tournament’s “Top Forward” honors.
Where will Frondell play? There doesn’t seem to be any hesitation on head coach Jeff Blashill’s part to make Frondell a big part of the team right out of the gate. “Based on the level of play he’s had all year, how well he’s played the last part of the year, the fact that there’s zero practice time at this time of year, I’m going to throw into the fire kind of coach,” Blashill said Sunday.
When asked if he’d play alongside Connor Bedard, Blashill said, “He’ll play with a good player, for sure. ” He wasn’t lying. Here’s how the Blackhawks lined up at Tuesday’s morning skate: Ryan Greene-Connor Bedard-Frondell Tyler Bertuzzi-Frank Nazar-Nick Lardis André Burakovsky-Ryan Donato-Ilya Mikheyev Teuvo Teräväinen-Sam Lafferty-Landon Slaggert Sacha Boisvert rotated in.