The Blackhawks officially signed forward Anton Frondell to his first NHL contract Tuesday, but it doesn’t change where he’ll play in 2025-26.
Frondell, whom the Hawks selected with the No. 3 pick in the draft last month, still will spend one more season with the Swedish club Djurgarden, according to his agent, J.P. Barry.
Frondell, 18, had been expecting that all along. Djurgarden has been promoted to the Swedish Hockey League, the top division in the country, and ex-Hawks forward Marcus Kruger, now Frondell’s teammate and mentor, thinks it will benefit him.
‘‘I could see him being a force for us,’’ Kruger said this month. ‘‘That’s what I’m hoping for. In some ways, this league may fit him better because he’s going to play with better players and there will be a little more structure. Players will think more on the same level as him. I hope he can have a really big year.’’
Djurgarden’s regular season starts Sept. 13, before the Hawks begin training camp, and ends March 14. If Frondell makes any NHL appearances in 2025-26, they would be at the end of the season.
Frondell’s deal is for three years, as all entry-level contracts are, but it will slide (and not technically begin until 2026-27) if he makes fewer than 10 NHL appearances in 2025-26. The deal carries a $975,000 salary-cap hit.
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