One of the downsides of top forward prospect Anton Frondell playing in Sweden this season is that the Blackhawks can’t directly control his usage.
The top priority of Frondell’s Swedish team, Djurgarden, is winning, not development. That’s different from AHL teams. Plus, Swedish hockey culture enforces a strong favoritism toward veteran players. Because of those factors, Frondell’s ice time hasn’t been consistently high.
But that shouldn’t prevent Frondell from developing at a healthy rate. He has the advantage of being in a comfortable environment in his home country and playing with experienced and familiar teammates. Djurgarden’s promotion this season to the SHL, Sweden’s top division, also provided a natural step up in competition.
The Hawks have urged Frondell, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 draft, not to worry about — and not to let himself be affected by — factors outside his control.
‘‘You see it happen all the time with young players in that league: There are ups and downs,’’ Hawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton said. ‘‘There’s games where he plays 17 minutes and games where he’s in the single digits. . . . What I love is it hasn’t deterred him at all from playing his game, having a great attitude and showing that love for the game every night.’’
Eaton, who oversees the Hawks’ prospects, has been the primary messenger. He watches video of all of Frondell’s shifts and gets on a Zoom call with him every couple of weeks to offer feedback. He does the same with Djurgarden coach Robert Kimby.
‘‘[We want Anton to] realize that even though he’s an 18-year-old in a great league, he can still dominate that game,’’ Eaton said. ‘‘He’s that strong. He’s that good. He doesn’t need to defer to the older players. Really, the main message is: ‘Want the puck on your stick all the time. Don’t be quick to get rid of it. Try to make plays. Mistakes are going to happen, but that’s how you get better.’
‘‘That’s a big thing [Kimby] has been harping on: ‘Play like a man, not a junior.’ A big part of that is . . . expecting to be the best, regardless of what level you’re at.’’
Eaton happened to be visiting in person in when Frondell erupted for five goals in a two-game span in early October. One was a lacrosse-style goal that went viral.
Frondell’s production has cooled off since, partly because of that ice-time fluctuation, but he still has 10 goals (tied for the team lead) and 15 points (tied for fourth) in 25 games. By comparison, Djurgarden teammate Victor Eklund, the No. 10 overall pick by the Islanders last summer, has only one goal and 10 points.
‘‘It was obvious he was feeling it during that [hot] stretch,’’ Eaton said. ‘‘The confidence was at an all-time high. He was trying plays and pulling them off — plays that not a lot of people in the world can do. But I don’t really see it in his personality that if things start to dry up he’s going to grip the stick tighter.
‘‘It’s a good learning experience because, at the NHL level, you’re not going to show up on the scoresheet every single game. It’s about what kind of impact you can make when you’re not showing offensively.’’
Frondell will get an opportunity to demonstrate what he can achieve in a massive role for Team Sweden at the upcoming world junior championships. His load management with Djurgarden, which Eaton described as ‘‘not necessarily a bad thing,’’ should help him enter that tournament feeling extra fresh.
And come spring or summer of 2026, he will come to Chicago, where the Hawks will have no reservations about unleashing him and letting him learn through experience. He immediately will become something of a unicorn on their roster as a 6-1, 205-pound power forward with first-line potential.
‘‘He’s a special player,’’ Eaton said.