Chicago Blackhawks call up 2025 No. 3 pick Anton Frondell, who is expected to be let loose: ‘Go out and play’

The Chicago Blackhawks just dropped the average age of their roster — again. The Hawks officially called up their 2025 No. 3 draft pick, Anton Frondell, on Tuesday prior to their game at the New York Islanders, the latest prospect to join the team. He, and 2024 first-round draft pick Sacha Boisvert, 20, took the ice for the first time at morning skate in UBS Arena. When approached by media members on Tuesday, Frondell asked Hawks rookie Nick Landis, “How do I do this?” before answering questions. It’s a big step, so nothing wrong with having nerves. “Arriving at the hotel (and) meeting all the guys on the team was cool,” said the 18-year-old from Sweden. “Now first time on the ice, I don’t know how they felt, but it felt hard to breathe out there, but now I’m ready for the game hopefully.” Frondell joins the team at the very top of his game. He won the gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Juniors, where he scored eight points in seven contests for Sweden, was named the best forward of the tournament and earned World Junior all-star team honors. He joined Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League for the 2025-26 season, where he scored 28 points (eight assists, 20 goals) in 43 games. He’s the fourth SHL rookie to score 20 goals in a season, joining Thomas Sandstrom, Markus Naslund and Daniel Sedin. That number could’ve been higher had he been elevated above a regular third-line center with the team. He’ll get that promotion immediately upon arrival with the Hawks, as he skated on the right wing on the top line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene during morning skate. Hawks coach Jeff Blashill called himself a “throw him into the fire” type of coach regarding Frondell. “He’s earned the opportunity to get up there and capitalize on the confidence he has coming into the league,” Blashill said. “It’s a good chance for him, (there’s) three good players on that line, so hopefully they can create some stuff for us.” Standing at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, he’s already NHL size. Going up against men in the SHL added to his seasoning in professional hockey. “Everyone was stronger I felt like, and it was experienced players who know how to battle in the corner (and) know how to use their bodies,” Frondell said. “I got run over a couple times and tried to learn from it. It’s a hard game, hockey. You need to battle and I like to do that.” Added Blashill: “If I didn’t think he could handle the spots I’m putting him in, I wouldn’t do it right away because you don’t want to set somebody up for struggles. Does that mean it’s going to be easy sailing? No, this league is a hard league, there’s going to be ups and downs throughout the course of his career, much less these next few weeks. How do you work with him? You help coach him, you teach him, you stay patient, and you make sure he knows what he’s great at.” Djurgårdens IF’s season ended on Saturday with a 3-1 loss to the Malmö Redhawks. Shortly after the game, Frondell received the call that he would join the Hawks. “Everything has been going really fast,” Frondell said. “I was shocked, Sunday (I) was packing my bags and now I’m here.” Blashill has emphasized taking one step at a time for a Hawks team that’s only getting younger as general manager Kyle Davidson stacks up draft picks and prospects. With another top-three draft pick joining the roster, the coach’s advice was simple. “Just be him, play,” Blashill said. “He’s done a good job over the course of his time growing up to put himself in position to have success, so just go play. “The biggest thing I told him was you’re going to make mistakes, and I don’t care about mistakes. We care about learning.” Frondell will debut against Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the No.1 pick in the 2025 draft. He’s not playing like a rookie — his 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) has broken a plethora of first-year blueliner records. “He’s been an outstanding player for his team,” Blashill said of Schaefer. “It’s one thing to be a really good player as a young player, but it’s another thing to be a really good player and help your team be in the playoff battle, which I think he’s done.” Added Frondell: “(He’s) a good guy and he’s been really good this year. (It’ll be) fun to meet him again, last time I saw him was at the draft.” The newest Hawk looks to join young players like Bedard, Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini and others into NHL stardom. “They have fun playing hockey, they do some pretty crazy things from a talent perspective,” Blashill said. “It’s exciting for the league, exciting for the sport that they have that many young, talented players come in.”