Blackhawks Prospect Spotlight

A check-in series chronicling how the Chicago Blackhawks' prospects are progressing and what to expect from them

Hey Blackhawks Fans,

In another “lost” season in the sense where playoffs are not the goal, and the team sits at the bottom of the NHL standings, the yearning to learn more about the Chicago Blackhawks prospects is stronger than ever. These are the ones that are soon to make their NHL debuts and hopefully help to right this ship, so we are just as excited about the potential as everyone else!

This series will be a periodic check-in with all the latest news surrounding some of the Blackhawks’ most thrilling prospects.

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Frank Nazar - University of Michigan

There is no prospect this season that is as talked about as Frank Nazar. The center had a lot to prove this year because he was limited to only 13 games last season with the Michigan Wolverines due to hip surgery. There were a lot of questions surrounding his return, the main one being: would he be able to put up a season similar to the one he had with the U.S. National Development team in 2021-22, where he put up 70 points in 56 games? After all, that performance caught the Blackhawks’ eyes, and they selected him 13th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.

This season has been a healthy one for Nazar, and boy, he has impressed. He has 35 points in 30 games (14 goals, 21 assists), tied for fifth-best on the Wolverines.

Nazar has been playing first-line center recently alongside Rutger McGroarty (Winnipeg Jets) and Gavin Brindley (Columbus Blue Jackets), the same two he won gold with for Team USA at the World Juniors, where, by the way, he had 7 points in 8 games and was a plus-9.