Anton Frondell threw the Chicago Blackhawks a curveball after they selected him with the No. 3 pick in June’s draft.
Per Scott Powers of The Athletic, Chicago learned about Frondell’s plan to return to the SHL after they drafted him.
“The Blackhawks learned more about Frondell’s plan after drafting him. Originally, they hadn’t ruled out his coming to training camp and seeing how he stacked up against NHL competition in preseason games,” Powers wrote. “But as the Blackhawks negotiated Frondell’s entry-level contract and discussed what he sought for the upcoming season, he expressed his desire to return to Djurgården for another year.”
Anton Frondell declined an invitation to Chicago Blackhawks camp
Chicago offered Frondell an invite to training camp, but the forward declined. The decision is at odds with what he told reporters following his selection on draft night.
“If I get the chance to take a spot on the team, I will do everything I can to do that, to play,” Frondell said on June 27. “And if I’m not good enough, if I don’t make it, I’m going back to Djurgårdens.”
Per Powers, the decision for Frondell to return to Djurgarden was made last fall.
“Actually, we already talked about it in October, November (of 2024) that it doesn’t matter if we’re going to play SHL or HockeyAllsvenskan, in the second league in Sweden,” said Djurgarden general manager Niklas Wikegård. “So it would be good for him to play at least one more year in Sweden and just mature physically as a player.
“So we had a mutual agreement with the agents and him and his father that he’s gonna stay for one more year in Sweden and play.”
The Blackhawks are okay with the plan
The Blackhawks are “understanding” of the plan, as the SHL is superior to the play Frondell would see if he played on the Rockford IceHogs. Still, there was a possibility that Chicago would give Frondell a spot on the Blackhawks after training camp, allowing him to build chemistry with young players like Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar as their young core develops.
That won’t happen until at least next year.
One wonders why Frondell wasn’t honest with the Blackhawks before the draft. It’s a curious way to start a relationship.
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