Blackhawks have two Calder Trophy hopefuls, according to The Athletic

The 2026-27 NHL season will feature some fascinating storylines in the race for the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year. According to The Athletic (subscription required), the Chicago Blackhawks will have two horses in the race: 21-year-old Roman Kantserov and 19-year-old Anton Frondell. Thus far, only Frondell has skated for the Blackhawks, but opening night will be Kantserov’s big debut.

In another rebuilding year for Chicago, these two up-and-coming stars will be in the mix along with some other top rookies who are all vying for the same trophy won by Patrick Kane and Connor Bedard. Do these two Blackhawks hopefuls have a chance at rookie hardware, or will another skater like Gavin McKenna or Ivar Stenberg win the race?

Kantserov represents the Blackhawks' best chances

In The Athletic’s rankings for the top 20 prospects who have the best chance to win the Calder Trophy, Kantserov cracked the list at No. 5. He’s got some stiff competition ahead of him, including Porter Martone (Philadelphia), Stenberg (San Jose), McKenna (Toronto), and Cole Hutson (Washington). But out of the names ahead of him, Kantserov is the only one who played professional hockey last year for an entire season, leading the KHL in goals with 36 in 63 games.

Heading into 2026-27, he’s got a slight edge in experience and should see a smooth transition from the KHL to the AHL, much like Ivan Demidov did for Montreal. As a highly touted prospect, Demidov was held back in Russia and needed to play in North America to shine. Meanwhile, Kantserov dominated in his home country, playing against many NHL veterans and other prospects. Of course, playing with the Blackhawks won’t be a walk in the park, but handling the responsibilities and pressure of skating in an Original Six market shouldn't slow him down.

Frondell is a dark horse candidate for the Calder

In 2025-26, before coming to Chicago, Frondell scored 20 goals in the SHL with Djurgårdens IF as an 18-year-old. During his brief NHL debut, he tallied three goals and nine points in 12 games, a reversal of his production in Sweden. The writers at The Athletic love his shot and believe he has true potential, but worry about his capabilities over an 84-game schedule.

As many expect the Blackhawks to take a step further and avoid being a top Draft Lottery team again, someone will need to score goals and set up teammates. That’s where Frondell’s experience comes into play. Considering Bedard is going to miss the start of the season, Frondell is currently penciled in as Chicago’s top center, so a strong performance out of the gate can propel him to an entire season of success.

Although it’s a very small sample- just 12 games- Frondell’s NHL career is off to a .75 points-per-game pace, so if he could maintain that over all 84 games, he’d have 60 points. Based on the final totals of the last 10 Calder Trophy winners, they combined to average 61.4 points a season, making Frondell a true dark horse if he has a breakout campaign.

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