The young core at the NHL level right now for the Chicago Blackhawks will remain the primary focus for the front office after the Four Nations break. Entering Sunday night’s game against the Maple Leafs, the team has 41 points on the season with a 17-32-7 record. They are four points ahead of the San Jose Sharks who are last in the league and would have a guaranteed top-three pick in the draft if the season ended today.
Kyle Davidson’s plan to rebuild this roster has taken plenty of time and the fans have certainly grown frustrated over sitting in the league’s basement. A majority of the Blackhawks prospect pool is playing at the amateur level right now, meaning most of them are at least one or two years away from reaching the NHL at the earliest.
Some impressive strides have been made by the pieces of this developing core that have joined Connor Bedard this season. Even though more new faces are on the defensive side of things this season, a forward who was called up for his second stint with the franchise in December has made his presence known over the past month.
Frank Nazar is heating up for the Chicago Blackhawks
Frank Nazar is ahead of the pack in scoring among his rookie counterparts in the NHL over the last month. The former Michigan Wolverine has three goals and five assists in 11 games since January 18 which ties him for the most points by a rookie in that stretch in the league with eight.
Since Jan. 18, Frank Nazar has eight points (3G, 5A) in 11 games, tying him for the most among NHL rookies in that span.
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In his 27 games with the Blackhawks this season, Nazar has four goals and seven helpers. He scored his first career NHL goal last year in his first game. Nazar was a highly decorated collegiate player in his time at Michigan as he was a point-per-game guy last season.
The Chicago Blackhawks will rely on Frank Nazar heavily
Nazar was the 13th overall draft choice of the Blackhawks in the 2022 draft. The pick was acquired in the Kirby Dach trade with the Montreal Canadians, and the Blackhawks look like early winners in that transaction at the moment. Nazar went back to Michigan for his Sophomore season last year due to an injury he sustained as a Freshman that limited him to seven games in 2022.
Based on how high he was drafted, the label of Nazar being a top-six forward for the organization down the road makes plenty of sense. His draft class was the true beginning of the full-scale rebuild in Chicago as he was taken in the first round along with defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel.
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