Blackhawks Top Prospect Set to Debut vs. Islanders

Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill is confident that Frondell, while young, can contribute for the Blackhawks right away. Based on what he’s said over the past couple of days, his confidence in the top pick is through the roof.

“Based on the level of play he’s had all year,” Blashill said on March 22, “how well he played the last part of the year, the fact there’s zero practice time this time of year, I’m going to throw him into the fire.”

While the Blackhawks won’t be making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Frondell’s debut versus the Islanders will be one to watch, nonetheless. If he is the player that has been advertised, then the Blackhawks, who have been down in the dumps for multiple seasons, might just have another reason to believe.

Frondell’s Much Anticipated Debut is Finally Here

In 43 regular-season games with Djurgårdens IF this season, Frondell scored an impressive 20 goals and notched eight assists. His 20 goals were the most among SHL rookies, and he became just the fourth 18-year-old in the league’s history to put up at least that many tallies in a single campaign. Only Thomas Sandstrom, Mats Naslund and Daniel Sedin are on the list alongside Frondell.

One of Frondell’s final games in his home country featured an overtime winner in his postseason debut. It was the perfect way to cap off what was an excellent stint, albeit brief, in Sweden. It’s the hope of the Blackhawks and their fans that that same sort of production can carry over to the NHL game.

Frondell’s NHL debut against the Islanders will start at 7 p.m. ET at UBS Arena. The game will be available in Chicago on CHSN and in New York on MSGSN. Anyone outside the Blackhawks and Islanders broadcast areas can watch the game on ESPN+ in the United States and on Sportsnet+ in Canada.