The 2025 No. 3 overall pick is officially under contract with the Blackhawks after signing his entry-level deal on Tuesday afternoon.
a Swede signing‼️✍️
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 15, 2025
📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/RcGvmeK8J4 pic.twitter.com/dyCOul93xc
The three-year deal comes with a $975,000 cap hit and has the potential to slide back a season should the 18-year-old Frondell elect to play in his hometown Sweden next season instead of making his way to Chicago.
That’s where most of the mystery surrounding Frondell exists at the moment. Over the weekend, an article from Swedish outlet Expressen reported that Frondell was expected to sign with the Blackhawks but remain with Djurgården in the SHL for the 2025-26 hockey season. According to the article — and based on Google’s translation from Swedish to English — Frondell isn’t even expected to be coming to Chicago for training camp:
According to information provided to Expressen, he will not go to Chicago’s training camp in September but will focus on the SHL ahead of the series premiere with Djurgården on September 13, when they host Skellefteå.
Forgive us for not being incredibly familiar with the credibility of Swedish media outlets. However, it’s certainly worth noting that Scott Powers of The Athletic penned an article soon after Frondell’s contract signing that seemed to communicate more ambiguity on Frondell’s destination for the upcoming hockey season, suggesting that no decision has been made just yet.
Guess we’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?