The most likely scenario for the Blackhawks played out Friday as they selected Swedish forward Anton Frondell with the No. 3 overall pick in the NHL draft.
Frondell, who was described as a “tank on the ice” at the combine by fellow first-round pick Victor Eklund, is a power forward who could become a solid complementary piece for Connor Bedard or Frank Nazar in years to come.
The 6-1, 204-pound Stockholm native is a relatively high-risk, high-reward prospect with a ceiling as high as Panthers star Aleksander Barkov — whom Frondell personally names as his NHL comparison — but a floor as low as a bottom-six grinder.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Frondell said Friday via Zoom. “I’m still shocked. It was a blackout when I heard my name. Now I finally have a new favorite NHL team. I’m happy to be here.”
The NHL’s first-ever decentralized draft, with players gathered for a clunky TV production in Los Angeles but teams drafting from their home cities, turned into a logistical nightmare; it hopefully will be the last-ever. No top-10 picks were traded, either, as rumors of chaos didn’t come to fruition.
Entering Friday, the Hawks believed there was a chance Michael Misa could slip to them, but the Sharks instead nabbed Misa at No. 2 after the Islanders predictably took defenseman Matthew Schaefer at No. 1. The Mammoth selected Caleb Desnoyers at No. 4 and the Predators reached for Brady Martin at No. 5.
Frondell’s shot is elite, arguably the best in the class, which was one of his biggest appeals. That applies to both his wrist shots and his one-timers.
He missed most of the 2023-24 season recovering from knee surgery, and that inhibited him early in 2024-25, too. But once healthy, he exploded.
He tallied 25 points in 29 games last season with Djurgarden in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second-division pro league. On a point-per-game basis, that production exceeded Bruins star David Pastrnak (24 points in 36 games) and Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (27 points in 35 games) in their draft years in the same league.
“I know how to use my body when I have the puck,” he said. “I like to play both offensive and defensive [hockey]. It’s important to score but more important to not let in any goals.”
He said he had “really good meetings” with the Hawks throughout the season, and they made him “feel really comfortable” at the combine.
The Hawks also got a small assist from Stanley Cup champion Marcus Kruger, now a 35-year-old teammate of Frondell’s on Djurgarden. Kruger hyped up his former NHL club to Frondell, who said he followed the Hawks on Instagram back when they drafted Bedard.
“‘If you want to win, go to Chicago’ — that’s what [Kruger] told me,” Frondell said.
He said his goal is to make the Hawks’ NHL roster next season, and he’ll get an opportunity to do so in training camp, although it would be a surprise if he did. If he doesn’t, he’s expected to spend next season back with Djurgarden (which has been promoted to the first-division league).
He has mostly played on the wing with Djurgarden, and it might make most sense for him to remain there, since that’s where he’ll likely end up with the Hawks.
Critics worry about his game-to-game inconsistency and just-OK skating. He has disappointed in international tournaments against his own age group, struggling to be assertive and drive play. The Hawks hope he’ll be able to address those areas over time.
“I’ve been working on skating the last [few] years,” Frondell said at the combine. “It’s been better and better every season. I still want it to be better, too. I want to be quicker and get up to my top speed faster.”
