Frank Nazar’s quest to earn NHL roster spot begins in Blackhawks prospect camp

Frank Nazar’s path to making the Blackhawks‘ opening-night roster isn’t completely blocked, but it will be an uphill climb.

The 20-year-old forward from Michigan has less than a month to make the case that he’s ready to be a full-time NHL player now, that he wouldn’t benefit from first gaining some AHL experience. If he intends to be on the ice when the Hawks begin the regular season Oct. 8 at Utah, he needs to start seriously impressing the coaching staff and front office right away.

That process began Wednesday, when the Hawks held the first of two practices for their team of prospects that will face the Blues and Wild in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase this weekend in St. Louis.

Things will get even more real next Wednesday, when training camp opens, but strong performances in previous rookie camps have helped propel players such as Brandon Hagel and Wyatt Kaiser toward NHL jobs faster than expected. This could be an important first step for Nazar.

“Everybody sees [Nazar’s] talent and the high-end stuff,” Rockford coach Anders Sorensen said. “Today, for example, in practice — especially toward the end — I thought he looked really good with some of his habits. That will be really important for him to show in camp to Luke [Richardson] and his staff to make this team.”

During his three-game NHL trial run at the end of last season, Nazar impressed Richardson with his defensive reliability and hockey IQ. Scoring his first goal on his first shot in his debut April 14 was the obvious highlight of the stint, but he also demonstrated his intelligence and awareness by reading plays before they unfolded, protecting pucks with his body and other little things like that.

Now he must prove he can do those little things consistently game after game, week after week. If he can’t yet, that’s fine — most prospects can’t — but he’ll wind up in Rockford for at least a couple months as a result.

That seems to be general manager Kyle Davidson’s plan for most of the Hawks’ notable prospects this season, based on the sheer number of veterans he signed over the summer. Forwards Colton Dach and Landon Slaggert and defensemen Ethan Del Mastro and Nolan Allan, four of the most experienced players in this camp, have even murkier paths to NHL spots than Nazar.

One prospect definitely heading to Rockford is defenseman Artyom Levshunov, whose first appearance in a Hawks sweater has been delayed by a foot injury he suffered blocking a shot in a recent practice.

Levshunov would have been the most interesting player to watch this weekend, and Sorensen said he was “bummed” he wouldn’t get to participate. The second overall pick will likely miss the start of training camp, as well, but it doesn’t sound like the injury will be a long-term issue.

Nazar, meanwhile, hopes to use this weekend to continue adjusting to the pro-level pace of play after focusing on conditioning work (particularly biking) during his summer training. That’s because, regardless of whether he’s in the NHL or AHL, he’s bound to play a lot more games this season than the 44 he played last season.

He’s confident and mature, and although he didn’t share any specific expectations of making the opening-night roster, it’s clear that’s his goal.

One factor working in his favor is the lack of a clear second-line center on the Hawks’ depth chart. Andreas Athanasiou and Jason Dickinson are candidates, but Athanasiou is historically more of a winger and Dickinson is historically more of a third-line guy.

Davidson and Richardson would have no qualms deploying one of them in that spot nonetheless, but Nazar will get an opportunity to persuade them to put their trust in him instead.