Latest news with #FrankNazar
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blackhawks' Free Bird: How Frank Nazar Went From The AHL To Chicago's Potential No. 2 Center
When you're born and raised in Hockeytown, your first NHL game at Little Caesars Arena should be a cherished memory. But by the time Frank Nazar checked that box in January 2025 with a 5-3 Chicago Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings, he was already a grizzled vet at that barn. 'I played a pre-season game, a few college games – actually scored my first college goal at Little Caesars,' he said. 'Every time I play there, it's a blast. I always have, like, 100 family members, so that makes it a lot of fun. It's great.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks fan survey: Are you as confident in the rebuild as Kyle Davidson is?
General manager Kyle Davidson has put a lot of stock in the last couple of weeks of the 2024-25 Blackhawks season, hoping the speed, excitement and competitiveness his suddenly young team showed would carry over into next season and beyond. With Sam Rinzel playing top minutes on the blue line, Frank Nazar scoring at a top-six rate and Connor Bedard closing with three goals and four assists in his last four games, there was a lot to like. The players pointed to a dramatic shootout win over a highly motivated Montreal Canadiens team at the Bell Centre in the 81st game of the season as a turning point — perhaps even a launching point — in the rebuild. Advertisement Davidson is now all in on a youth movement, essentially sitting out of free agency despite a wealth of salary-cap space. No. 3 pick Anton Frondell appears to be headed back to Sweden for the season, and André Burakovsky is the only significant NHL addition the Blackhawks have made. So the Blackhawks should be more intriguing this season. But will they be better? Worse? More watchable? Less? Is the rebuild progressing or stagnating? We know what Davidson thinks. Let's see what you think. Fill out our annual Blackhawks fan survey below, and we'll share the results next week. Use two fingers to scroll on mobile or click this link to fill it out directly. Loading…
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Derik Queen gets the And-1
Blackhawks' Free Bird Frank Nazar Capitalizes On His Chances And Doesn't Look Back When you're born and raised in Hockeytown, your first NHL game at Little Caesars Arena should be a cherished memory. But by the time Frank Nazar checked that box in January 2025 with a 5-3 Chicago Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings, he was already a grizzled vet at that barn. 1:19 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
25-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about the Blackhawks going into the NHL Draft, free agency
CHICAGO — With the third pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks select … There are just a few days left until we know the name that completes that sentence. There isn't a definitive answer yet, but here's what I'm hearing about the draft, free agency and more as of Wednesday morning. The Blackhawks are expecting to keep the third pick in the draft. That could always change, but there doesn't seem to be much interest around the league in trading the pick for established NHL players. I'll get more into the trade market later. Who will the Blackhawks draft? The two teams ahead of them in Friday's first round will somewhat dictate that. If Michael Misa falls to third, I believe the Blackhawks would take him. He could even be in their NHL lineup next season. If it's not Misa, Anton Frondell seems to be the favorite, but the Blackhawks haven't made a definitive decision on their choice. They are expected to have more discussions about Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers and possibly Porter Martone in the coming days. The Blackhawks would love to negotiate new contracts with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar come July 1, but that is probably wishful thinking. With the cap increasing and both players likely bound for more production next season, the assumption is that both players will wait to negotiate new deals. They won't be in a rush. Advertisement I asked Nazar recently about the possibility of signing, and he said what you'd probably expect. He enjoys playing for the Blackhawks. 'Honestly, I haven't really thought too much of it,' Nazar said. 'I want to let everything figure itself out. I want to play in Chicago for the rest of my life. I think it's a great city and a great team and a greater organization. So, if that's an option and that's something to set up, then I'm always willing to look into it and look at things. But I've been super grateful and happy with my time in Chicago so far, and I'd love to keep it going.' The Blackhawks did inquire about Trevor Zegras with the Anaheim Ducks before they moved him Monday in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers. The discussions didn't go very far. The Blackhawks have also reached out to the Buffalo Sabres about JJ Peterka. As of now, the Sabres want a player of similar quality in exchange. Chicago doesn't have that to offer. It sounds like a lot of the trade talk going around the league right now is teams wanting established NHL players in exchange for established NHL players. Maybe that changes around the draft and into free agency, but most teams seem to view themselves as a playoff team next season and are seeking players to help improve their NHL roster. The Blackhawks are open to anything and everything that comes their way over the next week, but there is no guarantee anything will happen. As Mark Lazerus and I wrote this week, it's possible the Blackhawks don't do much more business in free agency. The signing didn't get much publicity, but the Blackhawks were pleased that Brett Seney was willing to sign a two-year AHL contract to remain with the Rockford IceHogs. He had previously been on an NHL deal. The Blackhawks weren't willing to offer him that again, but a two-year deal does provide him stability, too, and he knows he'll continue to play a key role in the IceHogs' lineup and help the Blackhawks' prospects along. Seney was named the IceHogs team captain before the 2024-25 season. The Blackhawks could have one of the youngest defenses in the NHL come next season. Connor Murphy turned 32 in March, and Alex Vlasic turned 24 earlier this month. Aside from them, Chicago's defense could be full of players 22 or younger. It does sound like the Blackhawks are open to adding a veteran depth defenseman in the coming weeks. It's not a necessity for them, though. They're content with going into the season, letting the young players battle for spots and seeing who is ready for the NHL. Ryan Donato was a priority for the Blackhawks this offseason. If they didn't sign him, they would have had to find someone like him through trade or free agency. That could have cost them much more. To finalize the deal, the Blackhawks were willing to extend the duration of their initial offer and sign him for four years. Advertisement For someone who hasn't made more than $2 million in a season and hasn't played anywhere longer than two seasons, Donato spoke Tuesday about finally having some security. 'Obviously, it's super gratifying,' Donato said. 'You travel a lot. You play a lot. You know, the wives and families go through a lot moving around. For me to finally have a place that I can be at for a long time is awesome. Like I said, we've loved it in Chicago. The idea of the familiarity coming back and seeing the same faces and being with the same people is definitely very exciting. It definitely creates a lot of stability for a guy who is trying to raise a family, same with my wife. I couldn't be happier that we're coming back. It's a process, and I understood that from the beginning. Now I'm happy with the way it worked out.' Also of note from Donato's news conference, he mentioned he's going to Tampa, Fla., once a month this offseason to continue to work on his skating. He visited there just once last year. Here is some background on his improved skating. Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson has been careful not to give any of these longer-term contracts too much trade protection. Donato is allowed a 10-team no-trade list in the first year, an eight-team list in the second and third years, and no list in the fourth year. That's pretty close to what the Blackhawks gave Tyler Bertuzzi. He doesn't have trade protection in the final year of his contract, either. The Blackhawks aren't desperate to move Lukas Reichel, but he's certainly available if someone is interested. As of now, teams haven't shown much interest. That could change once teams get through the next week and figure out what they have in free agency. The Blackhawks just don't know where Reichel fits any longer. They feel as though other young players are now more deserving of top-six opportunities. Those chances could go to Colton Dach, Oliver Moore and Nick Lardis this season. The Blackhawks also don't think Reichel has shown enough to give them optimism he's going to work in a bottom-six role. If Reichel is on the roster at the start of the season, he'll have to really change some minds. The Blackhawks have officially bought out defenseman T.J. Brodie's contract. They'll have a $3,233,333 cap hit on him for the 2025-26 season and a $258,333 cap hit for the following season. That, along with the $2.5 million the Blackhawks retained on Seth Jones' contract and the $7,857,143 on the final year of Shea Weber's contract, will help the Blackhawks get above the cap floor this season. Those three contracts equate to $13,590,476 in cap space. We all know Blackhawks' viewership was terrible on CHSN last season, but there was an encouraging sign late in the season for the team. After the Blackhawks added more of their young players in April, the viewership noticeably increased. Over the Blackhawks' seven games in April, CHSN's viewership was up 38 percent over the season average, a team source said. Goaltender Spencer Knight's debut, which came in March, also saw a spike in viewership. It'll be interesting to see what the numbers look like next season with the carriage on Comcast and the team likely to continue its youth movement. Duncan Keith's Hockey Hall of Fame announcement isn't expected to change the Blackhawks' plans during their centennial season celebration. They're not planning to retire any jersey numbers during the 2025-26 season. You would think Keith will be in their plans for the 2026-27 season, but we shall see. Advertisement I did get Patrick Kane and Marián Hossa's reactions to Keith being elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Kane wrote in a text: 'Ultimate competitor. He was the engine for our teams that had so much success. 2 Norris, Conn Smythe, 3 Cups. Not surprised he was elected. Incredible career.' Hossa wrote: 'Today is a special day as my good friend and former teammate, Duncan Keith, is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. We shared many incredible years together in Chicago, battling side by side and winning championships. Duncan was the heart of our defense. His work ethic, compete level, and leadership set the standard for all of us. I'm proud to call him a teammate, but even more proud to call him a friend. This honor is well deserved and I couldn't be happier for him and his family.' (Top photo of Michael Misa: Natalie Shaver / OHL Images)
New York Times
13-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blackhawks' Frank Nazar hopes to parlay Worlds performance into NHL season, Olympics
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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 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 — 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement '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.'
