Anton Frondell’s second NHL season is already moving fast. After a 5-2 opening-night loss in Vegas, the 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks center is set to skate Thursday in Salt Lake City with a new right wing beside him.
- Andrew Mangiapane left Tuesday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.
- Patrick Kane moved onto Frondell’s line with left wing Tyler Bertuzzi after Mangiapane exited. Kane is expected to remain with that group against Utah.
- Frondell logged 17:40 in the season opener, recording one shot, a minus-2 rating and three wins on six face-offs.
- Bertuzzi and Frondell played together for nine games last season and have been paired through training camp. Nick Lardis and Mangiapane have each previously taken turns on Frondell’s right side.
- Frondell entered the league late last season after finishing with Djurgardens in Sweden. The No. 3 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft posted three goals and six assists in 12 NHL games from March 24 through April 15, after producing 20 goals and eight assists in 43 Swedish Hockey League games.
- Coach Jeff Blashill felt Frondell was not at his sharpest early in camp but said the center looked more like his late-season self by the end of it.
- Frondell said the 12-game NHL stint last spring was the most enjoyable stretch of his life and gave him greater belief entering this season. He has focused on puck protection, smarter shifts and stronger play away from the puck.
- The young center models parts of his two-way game after Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, stressing forechecking, backchecking and defensive-zone work.
- Kane said a rookie center must keep the game simple against established NHL matchups, especially in the face-off circle. He emphasized easy, smart plays rather than trying to force the action.
- Bertuzzi praised Frondell’s size, skating and willingness to work the forecheck and battle in hard areas. Frondell is listed at 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds.
What it means for the game against Utah
The Blackhawks visit the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Kane’s move alongside Frondell and Bertuzzi gives Chicago a veteran playmaker on a line centered by a teenager still learning the nightly demands of the position.
Frondell said the trio generated chances as soon as Kane joined the unit in Vegas. The assignment now is to turn that early chemistry into a cleaner 200-foot game after Chicago opened the season with a loss. For Frondell, that means handling the puck with more confidence while staying connected defensively when play swings the other way.
