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 prospect Victor Eklund, is a power forward who could become a solid complementary piece to Connor Bedard in years to come.
He’s a higher-risk, higher-reward prospect than others in the top-five range, 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.
“[Barkov] goes hard into battle. He works in the defensive zone,” Frondell said at the combine, where he measured 6-1 and 204 pounds. “Like him, I’m big and strong. This year I played against men, and I could run over someone if I had to.”
Entering Friday, the Hawks believed there was a significant chance that consensus top forward prospect Michael Misa could slip to them, but the Sharks nabbed Misa at No. 2 — as had been forecasted for months prior to this week — after the Islanders took defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the first pick.
Frondell 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 David Pastrnak (24 points in 36 games) and William Nylander (27 points in 35 games) in their draft years in the same league.
His shot is elite, arguably the best in the draft class, which is one of his biggest appeals. Between that and his hard-nosed nature, he could fit well as a complementary winger for Connor Bedard, even though Frondell has mostly played center thus far in his career.
He’s expected to spend next season back with Djurgarden, who has been promoted to the SHL, Sweden’s first-division league. He’s not a candidate to play in the NHL right away.
Critics worry about his game-to-game inconsistencies and just-OK skating. He has disappointed in international tournaments against his own age group, and he sometimes struggles 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,” he 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.”
The Hawks aren’t done for the first round because they also hold the Maple Leafs’ No. 25 pick.
This story will be updated.
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The Hawks believe the Sharks are strongly considering taking Anton Frondell with the No. 2 pick Friday, which would give them the opportunity to nab Misa.
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