How will Anton Frondell fare playing center more in 2026-27?

There isn't a prospect that might be more anticipated next season for the Chicago Blackhawks than Anton Frondell.

After making his way to the Blackhawks in March from Djurgårdens IF in Sweden, he made a great impression at wing. But the coaching staff saw even more potential in him playing center.

In 2026-27, Frondell's storyline will be centered (pun intended!) around his time in the middle.

Frondell made a strong transition to center

When Frondell made his NHL debut, head coach Jeff Blashill immediately mentioned he has "really good pro habits." For the now 19 year old, that is quite a compliment.

Playing with Djurgårdens players gave him a lot of experience to be NHL-ready, including playing alongside Blackhawks' Stanley Cup Champion Marcus Krüger. Even though Frondell's NHL stint came with some expected learning moments, it also brought a new transition.

Frondell had played center before in his career, and Blashill had a hunch about trying him there on the Blackhawks. "I want to try Anton at center, and so that dictated, kind of moving the lines around a little bit... As I said to Anton, he hasn't played center all year, so it's probably not the easiest position to put him in, and I recognize that. But... he just played center a lot in his life, and I think he's got traits to be a really, really good 200-foot winning center. And I'd like to get a look at it this year rather than the beginning of next year, so that, if that's the way we go, we can hit the ground running with whatever might be..."

He played only his first three games at wing, on the first line with Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene. The remaining nine games were played at center.

However, he was productive in both roles, whether first-line wing or second-line center, as he recorded nine points in 12 games. His faceoff percentage was 30.2 percent. Just like any other young center in the league, faceoffs are not always going to be strong right away, but he got the opportunity and is running with it.

What can make Frondell successful at center moving forward?

General manager Kyle Davidson was asked last month what it was about Frondell's game that has them projecting him as a center, "It's probably a hockey sense, and just his natural instincts on the ice are ones of responsibility. You know, making sure he takes care of his own defensive responsibilities, his strength down the middle, ability to create offense, either with the pass of the shot, but also just take care of the ice and let other players kind of jump in for offense, while also understanding that he can't cheat for it himself. So, he just has a mature way that he operates on the ice, and I think it's that two-way mindset and hockey IQ that allows him to be a trusted presence down the middle, and one that management and the coaching staff believes in down the middle."

The middle of the ice was a challenge for the Blackhawks last season, and next season's center group will still be young, with their options including Frondell, Bedard, Nazar, Greene, Oliver Moore, Sacha Boisvert, and Ryan Donato. If they can develop Frondell in that role, that would add more potential for the Blackhawks, because even if there are times where Frondell is interchanged from center to wing, it brings strength to two positions.

Overall, there's a lot to be excited about with his game. His physical build at 6'1"; 198 pounds, his hard, accurate shot, and the two-way skill that Davidson alluded to. When you put all of that together, he has all the ability to be a solid NHL center, and it's something he has been exclusively focusing on.

Frondell spoke with Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times about how he is studying and working on the position this summer, telling Pope, "Faceoffs is a lot of timing, a lot of reacting quick to when the puck drops, and then if you’re strong and you have a lot of power in your faceoffs, you can win a lot of them,” Frondell said. “That’s a way for me to win more: with my power.”

We can't expect perfection as he continues to learn, but it will be fun to see how all the knowledge he gained from last season and this summer will pay off.

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