What Anton Frondell Moving to Center Means for the Blackhawks

When the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Anton Frondell third overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, it was done under the idea that he would be Connor Bedard’s linemate of the future. However, after he made his debut this season, the outlook has changed: general manager Kyle Davidson said over the combine weekend that the organization views him as a center going forward. 

Frondell’s Current Impact 

The Blackhawks selected Frondell with what had to be a full intention of him playing on the wing, whether it be Bedard’s or someone else’s. Frondell played for Djugardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), earning a spot on Sweden’s World Junior Championship team and was one of, if not the, best players there on the wing. Frondell’s one-timer on the power play and overall scoring ability set him apart from others, as he had five goals throughout the tournament and helped lead Sweden to a gold medal. 

Frondell finished his 2025-26 SHL regular season on a high note, with 20 goals and 28 points in 40 games, and was one of the best in the league at only 18 years old. In the playoffs, in three games, he had two points, including an overtime goal. 

Once Djugardens IF lost in the SHL Playoffs, it was only a matter of time before he’d be playing on United Center ice. Davidson wasted no time signing Frondell to his entry-level contract right after he drafted him, and he didn’t waste any time bringing him over to North America.

In his first game with the Blackhawks, Frondell tallied his first point with an assist on an Ilya Mikheyev goal. Frondell then tallied another on Bedard’s 30th goal of the season, the game after, with a beautiful pass that found him.

Frondell played 12 games with Chicago from late March to the end of the season, and in that time, he tallied three goals and six assists for nine points. 

How Frondell’s Future Role Affects the Blackhawks 

Frondell only played on the wing for the first couple of games. He was switched to the center position and was put with Mikheyev and Tyler Bertuzzi (From ‘Chicago Blackhawks’ Anton Frondell moves to center as rookie adjusts to NHL’ – The Athletic, 3/29/2026). The Blackhawks found out that Frondell is a versatile player and a very good center, and that line ended up being the best line to end the season. Frondell showed all the qualities needed to be a good center in this league, and that left a lot of questions about how the Blackhawks were going to attack the lines in the 2026-27 season. 

With Davidson confirming that they view Frondell as a center more than a wing now, that shakes a lot of things up. Chicago viewing Frondell that way is not a bad decision; it’s just that they may lack the talent around the lineup to make it happen. 

The center position is already loaded, with Bedard, Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, and Ryan Greene all able to play center. While Ryan Donato has primarily played on the wing in his time with the Blackhawks, he has some abilities up the middle, as well. Chicago lacks the power on the wing, and they still have to find Bedard a linemate.

Whether or not Ivar Stenberg drops to fourth overall later this June has been debated a lot, and it would be more than ideal if he does because he’s already an NHL-ready winger. Will Roman Kantserov prove himself over the summer and show he’s ready for first-line minutes and slot in on the right side next to Bedard? If any of that happens, head coach Jeff Blashill will definitely toy with the idea of putting Frondell at center since it’d be less catastrophic to the lines. 

The fact that this raises more questions than answers should be taken into account, though. Frondell, while a more than capable center, just adds to the congestion up the middle of the ice as a whole. It’d be best to play him on Bedard’s wing and see how it goes at the start of next season, and let Bedard, Nazar, and Moore be your combination down the middle (which worked before they all got injured at different points in the season). Impacting Nazar and Moore’s development with possibly moving them to the wing should be one of, if not the biggest concern here. Frondell can always be moved to center if need be, but Bedard needs help, and that should be the priority; Frondell is that help.