Blackhawks Sign Rising Forward to Massive Contract

Nazar, 21, has played just 56 NHL games thus far, three in 2023-24 and the rest last season. In that time, the Detroit native has scored 13 goals and 27 points while recording a minus-15 rating (which is mostly due to the team around him).

Needless to say, it's quite the vote of confidence for the Blackhawks given that Nazar hasn't even played a full NHL season yet. Based on his potential, however, it's a bet they're willing to take.

Before making the jump to the NHL, Nazar was a star against all different kinds of competition. In 2021-22, he put up a very impressive 28 goals and 70 points in 56 games with the U.S. National U18 Team. Then in 2023-24, he scored 17 goals and 41 points in 41 games at the University of Michigan before joining the Blackhawks at the end of the season.

Additionally, Nazar has been very impressive in international play as well. He made his senior national team debut at the IIHF World Championship this spring, scoring a team-high six goals and 12 points to help the U.S. win its first gold medal at the event since 1933.

“When we first got there- you are getting to know everyone - we weren’t playing that great at the start of the tournament,” Nazar told NHLPA.com in May. “We needed to figure it out. We lost to Switzerland and went to OT with Norway. I don’t know what happened, but once we went to OT and won against Norway, something just clicked.

“Everyone just bonded and that showed on the ice. The last five games of the tournament saw everybody just playing for each other, it didn’t matter who scored, we were there to win and play for one another. That was special to see and cool to be a part of.”

Nazar is also the youngest of 44 players attending the U.S. Men's Olympic Orientation Camp later this month, so he has a chance to represent the red, white and blue on the biggest international stage.

The Blackhawks are very much a rebuilding team, so locking up a core piece of their future is definitely good business.