Blackhawks' Frank Nazar hopes to parlay Worlds performance into NHL season, Olympics

New York Times

13-06-2025

Frank Nazar had no clue how the U.S. had fared at the World Championship when he signed up to play this year.
What the Chicago Blackhawks center learned shocked him. The U.S. hadn't won the international tournament since 1933. Possibly even more surprising than that was that the U.S. hadn't reached the tournament final since 1950. History was not in Nazar's favor entering his first World Championship experience.
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'I didn't really do much researching or much homework on the tournament, but when I found out it's 92 years, I was like, my jaw hit the floor,' Nazar said on Wednesday. 'There's no way. And then when I found out, I don't know exactly what the numbers are, that it's like 50 or 60 years since we've even been to the finals, my jaw dropped even lower. It was history. When we walked in the first day, we had a sign on the board and it said 1933. And I'm pretty sure all of us knew what it meant, but they reiterated it, saying this is the last time the U.S. has won this tournament, and we're going to be the team that changes that number.'
And the U.S. did. After losing only to Switzerland in the group stage, the U.S. defeated Finland and Sweden to reach its first final in 75 years, then redeemed itself against Switzerland with a 1-0 win in the gold medal game.
On top of the team success, Nazar also had plenty of individual success. He finished the tournament tied with a team-high six goals and 12 points in 10 games. It may seem odd now, but Nazar wasn't even sure he should accept the invitation to play after the NHL season.
'Before the tournament, I was kind of not battling, but like wondering, like, OK, should I go, like knowing that there's such big names on the roster and not knowing where I was going to fit in?' Nazar said. 'And I was like, you know, where am I going to play, this or that? And then finally, I was like, what am I thinking? Like, I'm gonna go there and I'm going to earn my spot and I'll show that I should be in a good role on this team, I should be playing and I should be in a certain spot. Obviously, I decided to go and it worked out, and I felt really good and was able to be lucky enough to have a great tournament.'
The tournament was much like how Nazar closed out his season with the Blackhawks. Nazar was arguably the Blackhawks' best player over the last month of the season. Of the 12 goals and 14 assists he had in 53 NHL games last season, six goals and four assists came in his final 11 games.
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Nazar carried that play and confidence into the World Championship. He had to adapt his game to the large ice sheet in Europe, but he figured it out quickly. Blackhawks assistant coach Anders Sörensen got a close look at Nazar's game while Sörensen was an assistant for Sweden at the tournament.
'I thought he was dynamite,' Sörensen said. 'Just seems to be an extension of the season he ended with us in Chicago. I think it's a great experience for him to come in and realize in that environment — obviously the rink is bigger — he can excel with and against those (types) of players on an everyday type of basis on the world stage. I really liked his game. Obviously, on the bigger ice, he's a dynamic skater. His puck transportation abilities, abilities to make plays on entries, was noticeable. Just seemed like he took another step in his development.'
Nazar loves scoring goals and giving @usahockey the lead!@NHLBlackhawks | #MensWorlds https://t.co/wKsb1ddr55 pic.twitter.com/OsqR4KaSG2
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) May 20, 2025
That has to excite the Blackhawks as the 21-year-old Nazar heads into what is expected to be his first full NHL season. Nazar's trajectory points to a productive 2025-26 season.
Even though the Blackhawks' two young centers, Nazar and Connor Bedard, made different decisions about the World Championship this year — Bedard declined Canada's invitation — Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson recently said he thought both could benefit from their choices.
'I think it was a great opportunity for Frank to continue a nice end of the season, keep that going and get that experience for the first time and win gold, and he played quite well and I thought he had a really strong tournament,' Davidson said. 'So, yeah, it was really positive for him to go see what that's all about and be around another group and be around other pros, which Connor did last year, and so he got that experience.
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'And then with Connor, I think it was just how he wanted to run the process of his offseason. It's been a really busy couple of years for him, and I think taking a step back, getting some rest was a really mature decision to then attack his offseason with full energy and really kind of go into the summer with some sense of rest and recovery.'
For Nazar, there is also an excitement for where his game is at and where it's going. He's never been one to lack confidence in himself, but this past year has reassured him that he can be the NHL player he's always envisioned.
'My confidence is going to stay the same as it was last year,' Nazar said. 'I'm going to definitely be more comfortable and more, I don't really want to say confident, I think it's more just like a belief in my skills. I know it's pretty similar, but I've always been a confident player and very confident in what I can do on the ice and knowing my game. But I really think it's just being comfortable out there and understanding the game and knowing what I could do and when to make plays and all that stuff.'
The other upside to Nazar's play at the World Championship was that it could lead to an opportunity to play for the U.S. in next year's Olympics. He's still a long shot, but he's at least put himself in the conversation.
'If that's the case, I'd be super excited about that,' Nazar said. 'I don't really know what's going on with that and I haven't had much thought about it for myself, but I mean, I'd go just to watch. I think that'd be awesome. I think it's really just a pleasure to wear the red, white and blue and the USA on your chest, no matter what. It's just such a blessing and such a huge thing in my opinion.'
Time will tell. For now, Nazar plans on enjoying some time off before dialing up his training again.
While Nazar was in Europe, the Blackhawks hired Jeff Blashill as their head coach. As a Detroit-area native who attended Detroit Red Wings games growing up, Nazar has some familiarity with Blashill from his Red Wings days and otherwise.
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'It's pretty funny, my billet family knows him from NTDP (U.S. National Team Development Program) and knows (former Red Wings head coach Derek) Lalonde really well and knows (Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon) Cooper and honestly like all those guys, so it's kind of a big circle right there,' Nazar said. 'And I've met Blash before and worked with him a little bit when I was at USA back when he was with, I'm pretty sure he was at the Wings at the time or just getting done with them, and he was great and always very nice and respectful and helping. He came out to some of our practices and ran a few and helped us with things, so I thought that was great. And I talked to him on the phone and he just seemed really excited to get going with this group and super confident and believing in what we can do, so I think it's gonna be great.'
Nazar was also happy that Sörensen decided to remain with the organization.
'Honestly, I love Anders and I think he's a great coach, great person, great human being,' Nazar said. 'I think it's a huge thing that they kept him and that he was willing to be an assistant and stay with the group. I think he's gonna be super helpful. I still have that relationship with him and knowing that he's still gonna be here. He's got a lot of trust in me, and I got a lot of trust in him. To be able to have a guy that you can rely on and fall back to is always just super relaxing and feels good.'