Did Frank Nazar gain a head start in quest for a full-time spot on the Blackhawks?

Frank Nazar could more than make his case in camp to become a full-time member of a Chicago Blackhawks team that must start returning to relevancy in 2024-25. The last few seasons saw a barren cupboard unless you count aging talent that is mostly long gone and Connor Bedard, but Nazar is one player more than on the rise. 

Last season, Nazar debuted in the NHL and enjoyed a performance that saw him score his first of what should be many career goals. But he primarily made his mark at the University of Michigan, where he put up 41 points and 17 goals for the Wolverines, foreshadowing what the small but dynamic former first-round pick might bring to Chicago. 

Now, realistically, I’m saying he will play at least a solid portion of the 2024-25 season with the Rockford IceHogs before we see him in the NHL. But his performance at the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, if anything, gave him a head start into achieving that ambition this year. 

Frank Nazar is making his case early to be a full-time member of the Blackhawks

An assist and a breakaway highlighted Frank Nazar’s game vs. the St. Louis Blues on Friday night, but that was by no means all of what he could bring. We know this because, on Saturday night, he played even better. Let’s stop here for a second and just appreciate the fact that Nazar managed to turn a solid performance on Friday into a warm-up game before he really showed up the following evening. 

For one, he showed resilience against a physical group of prospects that the Minnesota Wild brought, and for such an undersized player, that shows that he has heart. In the third frame, he recorded an assist in the face of intense pressure that ended with him absorbing yet another blow. 

That assist showed us he has the poise to perhaps compete at the NHL level, and should he keep up that level of play, he will make things interesting throughout camp. But again, realistically, Nazar seems destined, at least early, for Rockford, yet if he keeps showing that poise and the ability to absorb some hits while producing, it won’t be long until he’s doing the same thing in the NHL. 

I know we want to see Nazar on the ice alongside Connor Bedard and others, but let’s exercise patience. The last few years have all been part of the process and it’s been a difficult one at that, and a little patience for Nazar and others can go a long way if they continue to hone their games.