Life just got a little Swede-r for the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Hawks drafted the top-ranked international player with the No. 3 pick in Friday’s NHL draft in Swedish forward Anton Frondell, an 18-year-old who, after graduating to Djurgårdens’ junior team to Sweden’s second division, stood out with 11 goals and 14 assists while competing against men.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Frondell said Friday of being drafted. “I’m still shocked. It was a blackout when I heard my name.
“Now I finally have a new favorite NHL team and I’m happy to be here.”
In 2023-24, at the junior level, Frondell averaged more than a point per game: 39 points (18 and 21 assists) in 29 games.
Former NHL scouting executive and SportsNet analyst Jason Bukala said Frondell — listed at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds by NHL Central Scouting — looked better against the pros than his own peer group.
“Listen, this guy could play the center, he can play the wing, he’s arguably the best shooter from the flank on the power play in the entire draft class,” he said. “He absolutely rips pucks, so I really like Frondell a lot.”
NHL Central Scouting regards Frondell as a skilled player with strong legs and a quick stick.
“(He) has a nifty wrist shot and his release is solid and accurate. His hockey IQ shines with intelligent moves, with or without the puck. Likes to set up teammates using small moves and tricky passes.”
During a live broadcast on ESPN, Frondell, at the draft site in Los Angeles, told Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson and his staff, who stayed in Chicago, “Thank you guys. Thank you for believing in me.”I’m shocked. I’m excited.”
When asked by ESPN’s Leah Hextall what makes Frondell the right fit for Chicago, Davidson said, “He’s an incredible player. It was great to get to know him throughout the year and then at the combine, and he’s a great person, but he’s an excellent complement to what we’ve got here in Chicago, and I think he’s going to really help us in building those next great Blackhawks teams.”
Then Frondell was asked, “What is that like to hear?” leading to his first funny and iconic moment as a Hawk.
“Fine. Cool,” he deadpanned.
“Tonight we were really, really happy with how it went,” Davidson said. “We were ecstatic to get Anton. He’s a power forward that can play down the middle or on the wing. I think he’s a great complement to our group that we have now.”
During ESPN’s broadcast, Frondell reminisced about his parents getting him into hockey at 5 years old and buying his first skates.
Pink figure skates.
“It was the first time I stepped on the ice,” he said. “Dad just found some pink figure skating skates. I actually skated with them for a year until he (found) out, (and said) ‘Oh, Anton, he loves the sport. He wants this.’
“Then he bought me my real first skates. He really wanted me to be a tennis player when I was younger. But I didn’t fall for the sport.”
This is the same kid who now fashions himself scorer/bruiser in the mold of Aleksander Barkov, the Florida Panthers’ all-time leading scorer and — as of last week — a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion.
“I have good size,” Frondell said. “I know how to use my body when I have the puck. I like to play both offensive and defensive.”
“Barkov’s probably a few inches taller and obviously a little bit heavier now at this point, but they play a similar style,” said Blackhawks amateur scouting director Mike Doneghey. “I would say he’s probably somewhere between a Barkov and an Anton Lundell, like he’s a big, detail-oriented center with a brain.“So he can just shoot a puck. He’s going to be a really special piece for us.”
Frondell had a plus-9 rating at the junior level, but improved to plus-11 when he bumped up to the Swedish second-tier men’s league, HockeyAllsvenskan.
“It’s important to score but more important to not let in any goals,” Frondell said.
Coincidentally, last week the Hawks acquired former Seattle Kraken forward André Burakovsky, who grew up in Malmö, Sweden.
In other Swedish connections, Anders Sörensen, last season’s interim head coach, remains on staff as an assistant, and the roster includes Arvid Söderblom.
Vaclav Nestrasil drafted at No. 25 by the Hawks
With the No. 25 draft pick in the first round, the Hawks selected USHL Muskegon winger Vaclav Nestrasil.
The 6-foot-5, 187-pound native of Praha, Czechia, produced 19 goals and 23 assists in 61 games for Muskegon en route to this year’s Clark Cup championship.
NHL Central Scouting calls him “a very skilled power forward. Has a nose for the net and when he uses his size, he’s tough to handle. (He) possesses a hard shot and quick release, making him a scoring threat every time he enters the offensive zone.”
Hawks make a late trade for a third first-round pick
The Hawks traded back into the first round at No. 29 for forward Mason West. They acquired the pick from the Carolina Hurricanes, giving up both their second-round picks this year and a fifth-round pick in the 2027 draft.
West is the second forward the Hawks selected in the first round who measures in at over 6-foot-5. The Edina, Minn., native is a 17-year-old who was a two-sport star in high school.
With Frondell at 6-foot-1 and Nestrasil and West closing in on 6-6, you’d think the Hawks decided to “go big” before going home for the night.
But Davidson said, “It just kind of worked out that way, actually. It wasn’t something that we were directly targeting.
“I think it’s a neat element that we’ve added in the size.
“With Nestrasil and Mason West, just two super high-upside players that we do think have high-end potential that can both move really well.”
The NHL draft continues Saturday with Rounds 2-7.