If you go back and watch our show during the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the three of us were hoping Kyle Davidson would select Frank Nazar with the seventh pick overall. Instead, the Chicago Blackhawks used the pick acquired from the Ottawa Senators for defenseman Kevin Korchinski. When Davidson returned to the stage six picks later, with the selection he got from the Montreal Canadiens for Kirby Dach, he made Nazar part of the Blackhawks organization.
On Sunday, Nazar made his NHL debut and became the second Blackhawks prospect to take a rookie lap in as many games as Ethan Del Mastro did on Friday night.
Injury limited Nazar to just 13 games during his freshman season at the University of Michigan, but he still scored two goals and seven points. He became a force during his sophomore year as a point-per-game player with 17 goals and 24 assists in 41 games. He helped lead the Wolverines all the way to the Frozen Four before losing to Boston College in the national semifinals.
“I saw him play a couple of times in the college playoffs and at World Juniors, and he looked great,” head coach Luke Richardson said before the game. “He’s a complete kind of player. He’s very intelligent out there and good positionally. He has the ability to make big plays. We saw that at Michigan making the between-the-legs pass for a goal. He wasn’t really risky; it was the right move. He can make those moves at the right time. We hope to see what kind of transition he can bring here to the NHL.”
“We know where his level is, so we have no problem putting him into a game,” Richardson continued. “It’s going to be a lot of information for him today. He’ll get the special teams’ meetings and the 5v5 meetings, and the coaches will sit with him and go over our systems. So, it’s a lot of intake for him today. For him, it’s keeping it simple. We don’t need him to try and do anything extra special. Just let it happen. We’ll feel the game out as it goes. Wherever it looks like he can help, we’ll try him out there.”
At no point did Nazar look overmatched, and he made an immediate impact. He won the opening faceoff against veteran Jordan Staal. He got some time with the second unit on the game’s first power play and missed the net on a golden chance from the slot. He made up for the miss moments later by beating Pyotr Kochetkov for his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot. What a moment!
Nazar provided the excitement, but the game followed the script many others have this season. A young, exciting player scores early to get the building rocking; then, a far more talented team takes over. In this case, the Carolina Hurricanes were the better team almost all night. They fell behind by a goal twice, which never phased them as they tied it up both times. After Andreas Athanasiou gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead early in the third period, Seth Jarvis scored a pair of power-play goals to lead the Hurricanes to a 4-2 win.
The newest Blackhawks rookie finished his first NHL game with a goal and two shots on goal. He also won four of his 10 faceoffs. He played 15:55, including 2:13 on the power play and 1:04 on the penalty kill.
“Pretty hectic, honestly,” Nazar said of the last few days. “From being at the Frozen Four to flying in last night and then figuring out I was playing today was really crazy. I’m a little exhausted, but it was a blast.”
The last few games of the season have given us a glimpse of the future. We’ve seen Landon Slaggert transition smoothly into the world’s best league. Now, we’ve gotten a small taste of Del Mastro and Nazar. With the season-long development of Connor Bedard, Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic, there is plenty to be excited about, with a lot more still to come.
