Anton Frondell expected to join Blackhawks after SHL season ends

Another significant piece of the Chicago Blackhawks’ future will join them shortly.

Anton Frondell, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is expected to be recalled from loan at Djurgårdens after it was eliminated in the SHL playoffs on Saturday. Frondell could join the Blackhawks as early as next week.

Unlike Blackhawks prospect Sacha Boisvert, who has been waiting nearly a week for his work visa to be processed after turning pro, Frondell won’t have to get through red tape because he signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks before the season. With Djurgårdens playing on the road on Saturday and Frondell traveling to North America, a realistic timeline for his arrival is likely next week.

The Blackhawks play at home Sunday and will depart Monday for a four-game East Coast road trip. At some point during those games, Boisvert and Frondell are expected to make their NHL debuts. The Blackhawks have 13 regular-season games remaining.

“As soon as Djurgårdens’ done, I think we’d like to get him over here and get him as much experience over here as possible,” Blackhawks assistant general manager of player development Mark Eaton said recently.

Frondell is coming off a memorable rookie season in the SHL. He became just the fourth 18-year-old to score 20 goals in the SHL and the first since Daniel Sedin did it in the 1998-99 season. Since helping Sweden win the gold medal at the World Junior Championship in early January, Frondell returned to Djurgårdens and saw his role and ice time increase over the second half of the season. His game also improved. He scored in 10 of his final 18 regular-season games, and scored an overtime game-winner in Djurgårdens’ lone playoff victory. Djurgårdens was eliminated by Malmö 4-1 in the final game of the best-of-three, first-round series on Saturday.

“I think that the confidence is always there with him,” Eaton said. “I think he has gotten a little more ice time. He’s played more consistently, I think, on the second line since World Juniors, so being put more in the situations that speak to his style of game, more offensive situations. Confidence is there, and he just continued with the goal scoring and he scored his 20th last game. So, yeah, just continuing to trend up.”

Frondell was used mostly on the left wing for Djurgårdens this season, and that’s where he will likely play for the Blackhawks, too. Joining the top line with Connor Bedard and playing on a power-play unit could also be in the cards.

One of Frondell’s biggest strengths is his left-handed shot. He and Djurgårdens coach Robert Kimby spent a lot of time refining it this season.

“Me and him worked a lot of shooting in tight spaces or releasing the shot,” Kimby said recently. “To release the shot even if it’s in a bad position, to work on the mindset that sometimes it’s better to get the puck on the net quicker than having the perfect shot because that’s going to surprise the goalie.”

Kimby expected Frondell to join the Blackhawks whenever Djurgårdens’ season ended and was grateful to have coached him the past few seasons.

“I think that everyone that plays or coaches a player that is a high draft pick feels privileged because that’s how you feel to be working with a young player with that kind of skill, but also because, in my opinion, I don’t think you get drafted that high without having that drive,” Kimby said. “So for me, that’s the biggest part. It doesn’t matter with Anton that he’s had a bad game He’s there the next day. He has a good game, he’s there next day.

“Things happen around him, still with a smile on his face, staying late on the ice, working hard, being there early, going to the gym and all that stuff. For us, for me, for coaches, for his teammates, I think that that just gives energy for everyone around him. When you coach a player that wants you to help them to work on their shot or work on their skills, they ask a lot about situations, that makes you want to do it even more. That’s kind of the experience with him now this year where he just wants to learn and get better. Then when you have a player that has that mentality, you’ll do everything you can to help.”

Frondell said recently he paid some attention what was going on with the Blackhawks this season.

“It’s fun to follow and cool to see the players and a little bit knowing what to expect in the future even though there’s a big time difference and we’re playing our games at the same time maybe and I need to have my nights of my sleep,” Frondell said.

As for his future with the Blackhawks, he was trying to resist thinking about it.

“I think it’s hard when you’re in a team here in Sweden, thinking too much about, like, Chicago and the team who drafted you in the summer,” he said. “It’s still in the future. I don’t feel stressed about it, but I’m really excited.”

Now, that future has arrived. He’ll be with the Blackhawks soon enough.

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