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Top of the Draft: Introducing Anton Frondell

A look at the Swedish forward who could be the Blackhawks’ No. 3 pick on Friday night.

Posted on by L_B_R
Source: Djurgårdens (Simon Hastegård)

(Editor’s note: It’s Draft week. As we look ahead to whom the Blackhawks may be selecting with the No. 3 pick on Friday night, we start with the name that seems to be gaining traction as Chicago’s projected selection.)

Swedish standout Anton Frondell is a somewhat controversial prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft: he’s a toolsy, physically mature young player who has projectable pro-game skills that blend defensive reliability with the upside of an impressive shot, but his inconsistent body of work the past season fueled a debate around his true ceiling in the NHL. There’s little doubt that Frondell can play in the NHL one day, but how high up the lineup he’ll go remains the question.

Summary

Frondell started turning heads at the age of 16 with a dominant showing in Sweden’s J20 Nationell league, racking up 39 points (18 G, 21 A) in 29 games, and a strong showing at the U18 Five Nations tournament in February 2024, where he finished with five goals and an assist in six games. He missed the end of the season with an undisclosed injury, but Frondell set expectations pretty high for his draft season.

Another injury (knee) would delay his pre-draft season the first few weeks, unfortunately. Once cleared to play, he struggled to find his footing early on and was shuffled between Djurgårdens IF’s J20 and HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden’s secondary professional league) as a result. This slow start to the season combined with an unremarkable 2024 World Junior A Challenge tournament ultimately led to him being left off Sweden’s roster for the IIHF World Junior Championship this past winter.

Things started to turn around for Frondell in January, and he went on to have a strong second-half surge in Allsvenskan, featuring several multiple multi-point efforts. He finished the season with 25 points (11 G, 14 A) in 29 games, putting together one of the more impressive U18 points campaigns in the league’s history. His 0.89 point-per-game rate in a draft season was better than former Allsvenskan players turned NHL stars like William Nylander (0.77 in 25 games) and David Pastrnak (0.67 in 36 games), and just slightly below Elias Pettersson (0.95 in 43 games).

That’s not bad company at all.

Charts from the Hockey Prospecting / Byron Bader.

Additionally, Frondell participated in the U18 Five Nations tournament in February, where he had a fairly complete showing with two goals and four assists in six games.

Despite those lofty end results for the regular season, the consistency concerns popped up again for Frondell in the postseason and in a few other tournaments. He put up a disappointing seven points (3 G, 4 A) in 17 playoff games with Djurgården and a modest three points (1 G, 2 A) in a five-game showing at the IIHF U18 World Championship. In both instances, Frondell saw his ice time dip and was even benched completely at times.

While a handful of underwhelming performances during the season and at tournaments shouldn’t define a prospect’s trajectory, it’s understandable why scouts have some doubts on Frondell’s long-term upside.

Strengths

At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds (as of the NHL Combine), Frondell brings the size and strength NHL teams covet in a modern forward, but it’s his blend of high-end skill, two-way reliability, and positional flexibility that has put him as an option for the top of the draft.

Frondell has NHL-quality shooting ability and a knack for creating scoring chances in tight spaces, thriving in high-danger areas. His crisp vision, quick release and shooting accuracy — especially on the power play — have become staples of his offensive toolkit. The versatility of his shooting habits add another layer to his offensive skillset, allowing him to be dangerous all over the ice in many different situations. Frondell has strong instincts on where the soft areas on the ice are for shooting opportunities, but he also isn’t afraid to use his power to drive or battle in close to create those opportunities more forcefully.

That physical edge and how he uses his size (at both ends of the ice) are really what separates Frondell from many of his current draft peers. He’ll throw the occasional big hit but, more importantly, he’s willing to engage physically in other aspects: aggressive on the forecheck, strong along the boards, and excelling at puck protection. These attributes make Frondell a formidable player in his own end as well as above average at generating offense off the cycle.

Defensively, Frondell plays a solid pro-style game: his positioning is sound, his puck retrievals are efficient, and he consistently applies smart, high-effort pressure. He often sets the tone with a well-timed stick and a strong understanding of when to engage. In pursuit, he shows a lot of pro habits such as closing quickly on forecheck routes, lifting sticks at the right moments, and using his body position to create possession opportunities.

Weaknesses

While Frondell’s game is well-rounded, there are areas that could benefit from further development, specifically his play-driving and playmaking.

Frondell’s offensive production has obviously been stellar, but when measured against top-tier peers, a noticeable gap emerges when it comes to transition. That’s an often necessary part of being successful in the NHL, at least at the center position where most teams will want him to play. When tasked with executing controlled zone exits or entries, Frondell frequently struggled to connect or maintain possession, raising questions about his ability to drive play at the next level. Frondell often defaults to simpler plays, relying on dump-ins and dump-outs to move the puck. Refining his transition game will be key if he’s to elevate from a supporting piece to a true play-driving forward.

The key could be improvement on one facet of his skating. While Frondell is a good skater overall, his first step and acceleration are lacking, so improvement with that could help him be more effective when asked to create in motion.

Additionally, while Frondell shows flashes of creativity with tight-area passing during the cycle and he can occasionally pull off more advanced reads, his overall playmaking doesn’t consistently rise to a standout level. With both his transition and playmaking, there’s a lack of problem solving that arises for Frondell when being pressured that isn’t ideal. The high-end vision associated with his shooting isn’t prevalent in his passing, especially through the neutral zone.

Quotes

TSN director of scouting Craig Button had a lofty comparison for Frondell, likening him to Aleksander Barkov, at least stylistically:

“I’m not going to tell you he’s ‘Sasha’ Barkov, but that’s the type of game that Anton plays. He’s just what I would call a complete, two-way player. He can play heavy, he can play skilled, he can play fast, he can play defense, he can play offense. Much like Barkov, Barkov’s never going to be a 100-point player, but he’s an incredibly valuable player.”

Frondell himself says he tries to model his game after players like Barkov and Anze Kopitar:

However, others don’t necessarily see him as projecting that high, seeing him closer to a higher-end Anton Lundell or Brayden Schenn type, as The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler compares:

“I’ve had people toss around Aleksander Barkov and Anze Kopitar, but I don’t think we’re talking about that level of defensive conscience/impact. They’re perennial Selke favorites and two of the best two-way centers in the history of the game. I thought about Sean Couturier, but that didn’t feel like a fit either. I think Lundell or Schenn with a bigger shot and a little more offense (Schenn has been a high-50s guy who broke 60 twice and hit 70 once, and I think Frondell can be a consistent 60s guy) feels closer.”

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