As he faces former team, Ryan Lomberg's appreciation for Panthers still on full display
Need a reminder of how much Ryan Lomberg still appreciates the Florida Panthers?
Look no further than his pregame comments Thursday before the Calgary Flames played the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speaking on ice before puck drop in Tampa, Lomberg was asked how it felt being back in the state of Florida, where he spent four seasons playing for the Panthers that was capped by winning a Stanley Cup last season.
'I like the palm trees and the sunshine,'' he said, 'but I [expletive] hate these guys.'
The comment went viral, and Lomberg a day later said the comment was made more so for his former Panthers teammates than it was to the Lightning.
'I was thinking of the boys when I said that for sure,'' Lomberg said Friday after Calgary's practice at Amerant Bank Arena ahead of the Panthers-Flames game on Saturday afternoon. 'It was weird being back, for sure. Some crazy ups and downs in that arena. It's cool the way I left it off there, obviously beating them in the first round and then going on to win the Stanley Cup. It's a good way to end that rivalry for me.'
Lomberg was a fan favorite while playing for Florida. The no-nonsense, physical forward was a staple of the Panthers' fourth line during his tenure. He had no problem dropping the gloves and fighting anyone who would accept — and despite being slightly undersized for a mauler at 5-9 and 184 pounds would punch well above his weight class and do his signature hair flip as he strolled to the penalty box afterward.
The Panthers will honor Lomberg during the first period on Saturday in his first game back since leaving for Calgary after the Cup run.
He's sure to get a healthy round of applause from the home crowd after the tribute video plays.
'From the game perspective, they're about as good a team as anyone in the league,' Lomberg said of his former team, 'so we've got to bring our A game for sure to give ourselves a chance here and stay committed to our game plan, which I'm confident we can. And then obviously, kind of the other side of it, I'm excited to see how they react and be around the fans and interacting with them and just making sure they know how much I miss them.'
They certainly miss him.
Lomberg saw his career truly take off during his time with the Panthers. When Lomberg signed with Florida ahead of the 2020-21 season, he had played in just 11 total NHL games over two seasons with Calgary before Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito took a chance on him.
But each year with the Panthers, Lomberg saw his role increase more and more. He became an everyday player in the 2022-23 season and was integral during both of Florida's runs to the Stanley Cup Final, including winning it all last season.
In four seasons, Lomberg scored 28 goals and had 49 total points to go along with 535 hits. He also took part in 15 fights during that span.
Lomberg had three goals and 107 hits in 32 playoff games.
'I love Billy for bringing me in and having confidence in me, keeping me around for four years and giving me the chance to win a championship for his squad,' Lomberg said. 'I became a full time NHLer here. Amazing memories. It was fun to be a part of. Now, I moved on, and I'm at a different point in my career. I'm excited to bring the energy to Calgary and make sure I'm pushing the pace here and bringing that winning culture to Calgary.'
Lomberg is the seventh member of Florida's Stanley Cup team to make his return to Amerant Bank Arena as an opponent this season. The Panthers have honored goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Steven Lorentz when the Toronto Maple Leafs came to town on Nov. 27; forward Vladimir Tarasenko when the Detroit Red Wings came to Sunrise on Jan. 16; and defensemen Brandon Montour and Josh Mahura when the Seattle Kraken were here Feb. 22.
An eighth, forward Kevin Stenlund, will get his welcome-back treatment on March 28 when Florida hosts the Utah Hockey Club. Forward Nick Cousins, who now plays for the Ottawa Senators, did not make the trip to South Florida for Ottawa's lone road game against the Panthers on Feb. 8 while he recovers from surgery.
'It's great to share that with Ryan and the fans,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, 'because he had a connection there and a connection certainly to our team. You do get to enjoy it. These guys are all playing on other teams now, but they still feel like they're yours. They're part of that collective memory that we have that will never change. So I'm happy for him to get to get to share that.'
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New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Which 2025 NHL Draft prospects can help Buffalo Sabres find more toughness?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Everybody wants what the Florida Panthers have. In Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Sam Bennett made two effective body checks in the defensive zone before springing loose for a breakaway, which he finished with a goal. His career high regular season point total came this season with 51, but in the playoffs, Bennett is a difference-maker. This year, he leads all players with 14 playoff goals and has recorded a point per game. But it's his tenacity, physicality and abrasive nature that have made him one of the Panthers' most valuable players while they try to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Advertisement And yet, 11 years ago, Bennett couldn't do a single pull-up during the physical testing portion of the NHL Scouting Combine before the draft. Two things are true: 1) Most NHL teams would love to have more players who have competitiveness and toughness. 2) Drafting and developing those players organically is tricky. That's the problem NHL teams are trying to solve. Even as the game has become faster and more skilled than ever, the physical element of the sport hasn't gone away. If anything, the Panthers' run has amplified the value of that playing style. Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov set the tone for a lineup full of gnarly competitors. The night before media and testing day at the 2025 NHL Scouting Combine, the Panthers and Oilers played a double-overtime classic in Game 2 of the final. Connor McDavid's show-stopping move on his assist was a highlight, but Bennett, Tkachuk and Brad Marchand, players who combine skill with truculence, also made a big difference in the game. The Panthers don't get to the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row without a few players who are miserable for opponents to play against. Not only are other teams around the league starting to recognize that, but the prospects themselves are gravitating to that style of play. Maybe it's just the particular batch of prospects available in the draft this year, but these players are modeling their game after different types of players. When players fielded questions about who they try to emulate, the Tkachuk brothers came up often. So did Bennett, Capitals forward Tom Wilson, Jets captain Adam Lowry, Flyers forward Travis Konecny and Lightning forward Brandon Hagel. In their own way, each of those players brings a nastiness to the game. What those players all have in common is that they aren't bottom-of-the-lineup players. They are tough but skilled enough to play in the top six. Advertisement 'I think it's how hockey should be played,' said Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds center Brady Martin, a projected top-10 pick. 'Nowadays, that's what wins championships. It's not always the most skilled players. It's the guys that want it the most. That style of play is coming back.' Martin is one of the heaviest hitters available in the 2025 NHL Draft. That he can combine that with scoring ability is why he's likely getting picked in the top 10. You don't have to watch Martin for long to recognize his toughness. But it's not always easiest to spot which 17- and 18-year-olds will bring a hard-nosed playing style when they get to the NHL. 'You can get tendencies on players in terms of their ability to play a tough or aggressive style of hockey,' Sabres associate general manager Jason Karmanos said. 'Of course, we look for players with those elements. Depending on what level they're playing at, it's not as easily detectable. Some players that are physically underdeveloped may have it come a little later in that regard. Especially if they're playing in a league against men but they have a boy's body.' The Sabres are a team that has lacked the hard edge the Panthers have in their game. They tried to address that by adding Beck Malenstyn, Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel to their roster last summer. But it helps to have some of these players coming through the prospect pipeline, too. These 17- and 18-year-olds won't make the Sabres a harder team to play against tomorrow. Still, the process needs to start somewhere. The players who are capable of playing high up in a lineup and have toughness aren't easy to acquire in trades and free agency, either. That's why the draft can be a useful mechanism for finding these types of players. Since Kevyn Adams became the Sabres' general manager, there has been some criticism that they've been drafting too many smaller skill players, particularly at forward. Of the forwards the Sabres have drafted in the top two rounds under Adams, only Anton Wahlberg was bigger than 6-feet tall. Prokhor Poltapov, Zach Benson and Konsta Helenius all have a competitive playing style, but until the Sabres are playing in bigger games and those players physically mature, it will be tough to gauge what type of jam they really have. Advertisement 'If people think that it's easy to detect who is going to be a tough or physical player at the NHL level when they're 17 or 18, they haven't been too involved in the NHL Draft,' Karmanos said. 'We try to project all kinds of attributes. Sometimes in the draft, you're just trying to find NHL players. I think the success rates will tell you that's what you should focus on, and not focus on player types, especially when it takes so long to develop them. If we have too many of a certain type, I hope they all play, and then we can trade them for other assets that maybe look a little different.' The problem is that if too many players project for similar roles, there won't be enough room to develop them all. Only so many players can get the valuable development minutes on the top line and power play in the AHL. Balancing out the prospect pool with different skill sets is part of building a pipeline. Of course, if you overcompensate for physicality at the expense of skill, you end up with a prospect pool full of bottom-six players. The rare find is a player who can play high up the lineup and has the 'hardness' to his game. This class has a few candidates. Martin is one such player in the top 10, but he's not the only one. Brampton winger Porter Marton plays a rugged style but has the hands and goal-scoring touch to be a top-line player. He's already been forced to learn the balance that the Tkachuk brothers deal with regularly when it comes to being an agitator. 'It's on my time,' Martone said. 'I don't let other people take me off my game. I don't need to be doing that every single time. You see Tkachuk in the playoffs. He chooses when he does create that stuff. For myself, I'm a very offensive player and like to create plays, so I can't spend all of my time in the penalty box.' Further down the board, you have a player like Windsor's Jack Nesbitt, a 6-foot-4 forward who likes to model his game after Lowry, Winnipeg's captain. He doesn't have the offensive upside of Martin or Martone, but he's a strong net-front player. He also fought seven times in the OHL last season, taking after his uncle, Brandon Biggers, who had a productive junior career. Nesbitt also took boxing lessons last summer. 'He would always show me videos of him fighting on YouTube and stuff like that, and it got me hyped up,' Nesbitt said. 'I'd always want to be like that a little bit and be a bit like him. 'Every team loves a good goal scorer and playmaker and stuff like that, but I feel like I have that asset to my game, and I also have the gritty part of my game,' Nesbitt said. 'I'm always trying to hit guys, I'll fight if I have to, and I can put the puck in the net.' Advertisement Everett's Carter Bear would also fall into the category of a competitive player, even if he's not as physically imposing as Martin and Nesbitt. He's recovering from a partial Achilles tear but is already back on the ice. He might be the best forechecker in the draft and has the offensive ability to match. Without the injury, would Bear be a top-10 pick? Then there's Justin Carbonneau, a winger who played in the QMJHL last season. At 6-foot-1 and just over 200 pounds, he has the look of a power forward. But will he be able to raise his level of physicality to match the higher levels? Among the defensemen, Barrie's Kashawn Aitcheson, who is 6-foot-1 and right around 200 pounds, looks like the toughest of the bunch. He racked up over 200 penalty minutes over the last two seasons in the OHL. 'You see a guy with his head down, and you want to make a big play on him,' Aitcheson said of his style of play. 'It's obviously more of an energy boost for your team. Give your team some juice, get them fired up.' What will be worth watching is how much these players get boosted by the way the Panthers have dominated the last few years. The way every player on that roster is committed to playing a competitive style of game all over the ice is the biggest thing separating them from the rest of the league. And there's no question the Sabres need more of that if they're going to become a team that is consistently playing in the postseason. Nobody in this draft is necessarily going to help the Sabres end the drought next season, but building that attitude has to start somewhere. (Photo of Michael Misa and Brady Martin at 2025 NHL Scouting Combine: Bill Wippert / NHLI via Getty Images)
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Should Maple Leafs pursue Sam Bennett in NHL free agency? Weighing the pros and cons
The Toronto Maple Leafs need a centre and playoff performer, and Sam Bennett, the Florida Panthers' Conn Smythe Trophy contender, just might become available in the coming weeks. If Bennett decides to leave the Panthers and test free agency, and, crucially, is willing to spend the rest of his career in Toronto (which may be unlikely), should the Maple Leafs put in a bid? Advertisement Let's weigh the pros and cons. Bruce Banner in the regular season, Bennett morphs into the Hulk every postseason. Bennett is having the playoff of his life this spring, scoring in what seems like every game for the Panthers. The moment never seems too big for him. Or maybe a better way of putting it is that he consistently meets the moment with the goal, hit or play (legal or otherwise) that his team needs. The Leafs clearly could use a guy like that. Unlike most of the Leafs' core players during this playoff-stumbling era, Bennett produces a lot more in the playoffs than he does in the regular season. Bennett's per-82 regular-season production: 19 goals and 40 points Bennett's per-82 playoff production: 31 goals and 60 points Even in Calgary, where his role never quite seemed secure, Bennett put a dent on the scoresheet in the postseason: He had six goals and 13 points in 15 games in his final two playoffs as a Flame. It's not just the production either. Bennett makes his presence felt in other ways. Nobody has accumulated more hits in the last four postseasons than Bennett, and it's not even close. Bennett's last deal, which expires after this season, was for four years and came with a cap hit of $4.4 million. That cap hit ranked 233rd in the NHL this past season, which is obviously incredible value. The Panthers have done a lot right and it's not just the big, bold swings. It's stuff like that, signing good players before they pop. A deal that more than doubles Bennett's cap hit, even with the salary cap rising and rising some more after that? That's the opposite of value. A cap hit of more than $10 million, for instance, would have Bennett leaping from the 233rd-highest cap hit into the top 20 next season. Is Bennett one of the 20 best players in the league? Obviously not — though in the playoffs, maybe? The definition of a $10 million player may be changing, but that's still a lot of coin for a player who has never scored 30 goals or hit even 60 points and has no elite skill. How much is a good regular-season player, great playoff performer worth? I can't recall a potential free agent whose value was tied up so much in the postseason. What if he isn't quite as impactful in the playoffs as a Leaf, and is still drawing one of the largest cap hits in the league? The Leafs would be betting a lot that his playoff performances translate, and for a long time. Advertisement Bennett will also be 29 when next season begins. How will age impact his performance, playoffs or otherwise? How long will he remain a quality No. 2 centre? The Leafs won't want to be paying a third-line centre $10 million-ish annually a season or two from now. The Leafs have a huge need in the middle, whether John Tavares re-signs or not. Though there may be centres who could be had in a trade, the Leafs may lack the assets to acquire them. Sign Bennett and the Leafs can hang onto the remaining stuff they have — namely, Easton Cowan and the best of the leftover draft picks. Pay up for Bennett now and the Leafs, even with the cap projected to rise again to $104 million for the 2026-27 season, could price themselves out of the summer of 2026 when the pool of free agents could be much glitzier and more appealing. It's not just Connor McDavid. Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin and Kyle Connor could all become available (though their respective teams may not let that happen). These are the players, heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, with more playoff goals than Bennett since 2022: Leon Draisaitl (40), Zach Hyman (35), McDavid (32) and Carter Verhaeghe (31). That's it. That's the list. Bennett has 27 goals and counting over those four postseasons, which includes this spring's incredible run of 14 goals in 20 games so far. One more goal for the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final and Bennett will match Sidney Crosby's and Alex Ovechkin's largest goal totals in a single postseason. It's unlikely, but also not out of the realm of possibility, that he makes a run for the all-time mark of 19 goals, held by Reggie Leach and Jari Kurri. Among players who have played in at least 30 games over that run of four playoffs, Bennett's 0.39 goals per game ranks 16th in the NHL — just in front of Auston Matthews (0.36), Sam Reinhart (0.36), Tavares (0.34) and Matthew Tkachuk (0.34). What have the Leafs been lacking each and every spring? Players who will reliably put the puck in the net. This is what makes the playoff production so remarkable: Bennett is a fairly ordinary scorer in the regular season. His career high for goals through nine NHL regular seasons: 28. He has three 20-goal seasons, all of which have come as a Panther. Bennett's career high for points in a single season: 51, which came in 76 games in a contract year this past season. Advertisement His totals in the two previous regular seasons: 40 points in 63 games and 41 points in 69 games, respectively. And that was in Florida, through his mid to late 20s, with a usually superb set of linemates. In his last four seasons, Bennett has produced 181 points in 279 games, the same total as Tyler Bertuzzi. None of it would matter quite as much were the contract not so large (presumably). If the Leafs add Bennett, they might only reasonably expect 20 goals and 40-50 points in the regular season from the third-highest-paid player on the team and one of the highest-paid players in the league, period. It's easy to see that production, because of the contract, attracting a whole lot of scrutiny in Toronto — which would only drive up the pressure on Bennett to be a rock star once again in the playoffs. Sign with the Leafs and Bennett would be granted first-unit power-play opportunity, the kind of opportunity he isn't getting right now in Florida. (He still drew nearly 2.5 minutes per game during the regular season.) Bennett had only seven goals and 11 points on the power play this past regular season, playing on the Panthers' second unit. Double that output with a regular PP1 gig (with at least one spot likely to become open), and suddenly Bennett could become a 30-goal, 70-point regular-season guy. Couple that guy with the playoff performance and intangible qualities, and suddenly that contract might not look quite as bloated. This is a big one, with so many layers. To start, how will Bennett perform without Tkachuk — and one of Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues — by his side? Bennett has spent so much time with Tkachuk over the past few seasons (almost 1,800 five-on-five minutes) that there isn't a huge sample size of his effectiveness without him (just under 600 minutes). But here's what we've got over the last three regular seasons: Bennett may get William Nylander on his wing in Toronto, though it's not clear if their games would mesh quite the same way. And it's unlikely that the second winger on the line, if the first one is Nylander, will have Verhaeghe's abilities. There's also Bennett's slotting with the Panthers. Because Florida has Aleksander Barkov and the rising Anton Lundell, Bennett's line tends to draw somewhat lesser competition; often third lines. Bennett's most frequent forward opponent from the Leafs in this spring's second-round series was Max Domi, followed by Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann. Advertisement It's unlikely he would draw such cozy slotting in Toronto. The Leafs would need him, as their clear-cut No. 2, to square off against stiffer competition. His importance to the team would be much higher in Toronto, too, where the talent isn't quite as wide-ranging as in Florida. Will Bennett feel comfortable playing in Canada again? He didn't have the most pleasant experience in Calgary, where, as a first-round Flames pick drafted (and then traded) by current Leafs general manager Brad Treliving, he struggled and found himself constantly in trade rumours. It's what may lead him to stick with the Panthers. Treliving, who used his first draft pick as Flames GM in 2014 on Bennett, once talked about the Leafs needing more 'snot' (which led to the Leafs signing Bertuzzi, Domi and Ryan Reaves). This past spring, he spoke about the need for change in the team's DNA at playoff time. Bennett is what the Leafs GM was — is — looking for. He's a pain in the butt to play against. He straddles and, occasionally, crosses lines. The Leafs witnessed that firsthand in this year's playoffs when Bennett knocked out Anthony Stolarz for what ended up being the entire series. (Stolarz returned as a backup in Game 7.) While they were mad about what happened and believed a suspension was warranted, they were also likely envious of Bennett's if-you're-not-cheating-you're-not-trying mentality, his willingness to play in and around the edge. Bennett would give the Leafs that dimension, an effective agitator in the mould of Darcy Tucker; one they don't have otherwise. Every indication is that Bennett is unlikely to leave Florida, especially for Toronto. But what if Bennett — via his agent, Darren Ferris — is willing to at least consider the Leafs on the premise of a huge offer? Advertisement It's a tough call. Bennett would solve a present-day need (when few other paths are available) and could give the Leafs the boost they've been looking for in the playoffs. But the risk would be massive, given the likely stakes of the contract, with huge downside. I wouldn't do it, but I can see how the Leafs might convince themselves that they have to. — Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference, Puck Pedia
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
What could the Blackhawks get in NHL Draft prospect Anton Frondell?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — You may remember Marcus Krüger as the fourth-line center who started predominantly in the defensive zone, handled tough matchups, thrived on the penalty kill and was on two Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup teams. Krüger played an important part in those two teams, but he was largely a role player who had very specific duties. However, to Anton Frondell, one of the top prospects in the 2025 NHL Draft, Krüger is so much more than what you remember. To Frondell, Krüger is the ideal mentor. Advertisement 'OK, so he is starting to get older, he has two Stanley Cups, probably good money in the bank — and that doesn't affect his way how he always wants to get better,' Frondell said. 'He's the first guy in the gym. He's the first guy to the rink every day. It doesn't matter how early I am, I can never win over him. And he doesn't just come to the rink. He comes there to get better. It's just cool, a guy like that still wants to get better.' Krüger returned to his hometown club, Djurgården in Sweden, late in his career, driven to lead it to promotion back to the SHL, which he accomplished this past season. Guiding Frondell and Djurgården's other young players wasn't necessarily part of Krüger's plan in coming home to Stockholm, but they came with the package. Krüger hasn't minded going above and beyond, either. 'He's taking care of me,' Frondell said recently while in Buffalo, N.Y., for the NHL Combine. 'He's invited me, like when they're going to concerts in Stockholm or looking at artists in concert. He's really a good guy.' Krüger doesn't shy away from talking about his glory days, either. It's not as if he's walking around the locker room with his Stanley Cup rings on, but he certainly mentions the Blackhawks. And with the Blackhawks having the third pick in the upcoming draft, Frondell can't help but think of following in Krüger's footsteps. 'Of course, you get a little thought about it,' Frondell said. 'You can think about like, wow, playing for the same team that he played in a couple years ago, because he has been talking about the organization, the players, how he thought of his time there.' And it could happen. Krüger sees the possibility. 'That'd be really cool,' Krüger said. 'Without knowing much, I think it'd be a good fit there. A forward that's going to be able to do it all there, and maybe, like in the end, becomes a center. I don't know. But he's going to be a player that can do a little bit of everything and do it really good. So I hope the Hawks get a chance to draft him. He's probably going to be early off the board here.' The Athletic's Corey Pronman and Scott Wheeler don't always completely agree on every prospect, but they're aligned on Frondell, a 6-foot-1, 204-pound forward. They both rank him as the sixth-best prospect in the class. Pronman wrote of Frondell: 'Frondell skates well and competes hard, often outmuscling others bigger than him. Despite his average size, he has a translatable style of play to the NHL that appeals to scouts. Frondell is a good playmaker but he's also a very dangerous shooter with a bullet shot that projects to beat NHL goalies from range. He's not a dynamic offensive player, though, and had a few too many quiet games at the international level this season. He has the potential to be a very good all-around top-six center even if he's often played wing this season.' Advertisement Wheeler wrote: 'He's got pro quality and tools. I've wondered enough times about whether his pace (he can look like he's got big boots out there at times) and whether his playmaking is high-end enough to rank him at the back of Tier 2 though. … Still, Frondell projects as a productive two-way second-line center in the NHL with continued development.' Although Pronman and Wheeler have Frondell ranked sixth, both had the Blackhawks selecting Frondell in their mock drafts. Based on Byron Bader's NHL equivalency model on Hockey Prospecting, Frondell has the highest probability of any player in the 2025 draft class to become a star player. Over the last 10 drafts, Frondell's draft year star probability percentage of 89 ranks behind only Macklin Celebrini (99 percent), Ivan Demidov (99 percent), Connor Bedard (99 percent), Matvei Michkov (99 percent), Jack Hughes (99 percent) and Auston Matthews (99 percent). Frondell ranks ahead of his peers in this model because of his young age (May 2007 birthday) compared to others in the class and because he produced at a high rate in a European pro league. Frondell's 25 points in HockeyAllsvenskan are the most by an under-18 player since William Nylander produced 27 points during the 2013-14 season. I know your ice time varied during Djurgården's playoff run, but what was it like to be part of those games and knowing what was at stake for the club with promotion? Djurgården had obviously been to the final the previous two years and lost. Like you said, this was the third year in a row being in this league. I grew up a Djurgården fan, so I've been in the crowd singing and trying to help the team win. And now being in the team, being a part of the group who's doing it, was really cool. And I don't think I know how big this is. Some people are saying like, this is historic, this is history, this would be a historic team for the club. And maybe that's not what I thought during the play, I was just thinking, 'I love to play hockey and we're going to win this,' not how big it would be. We played AIK in the finals, biggest rival game in the whole Sweden, I don't know, maybe the whole Europe. It's like, AIK and Djurgården hate each other. And being able to show them that we are the king in Stockholm and that they are our little brother was just a cool experience. Advertisement The celebration is usually the fun part. You decided to leave before that and play in the Under-18 World Championship in Texas. What went into that decision? I think I had the best celebration I could get — play hockey. It's what I love to do. I knew before the playoffs, as soon as the last game of the finals are done, I will leave it and play in the morning right after. So I was ready for it, and it was my decision. I had two goals this season, it was to win HockeyAllsvenskan with Djurgården and to win a U18 World gold, which we ended up didn't do. I didn't feel like the season was done because just winning. I wanted to go with Team Sweden, too. There seemed to be a lot of analysis of your play at the U18s. I know it wasn't the tournament you were hoping for, but how would you evaluate your play there? I don't see those (analysis reactions). I'm not looking too much at like articles or anything. But like I'm aware that I didn't play as good as I know I can or should have played. And I don't want to sit here and say like excuses because I felt tired. I didn't feel tired. I felt like my body was fresh and the jet lag was not too bad. So there's no excuses like there. Like the hardest thing about it was … Djurgården's tournament was long, like second-round Game 7s and then right into the final. And my minutes were kind of low at the end. It was like maximum five minutes a game. You're playing against men, important games, following the game plan 100, playing straight, no mistakes. And going from that to the next day playing on a small rink at my own age group and you are projected being the player who should produce and put in points, I think it was hard to do the transition from the first men's league to the U18 so quick and without any training, exhibition games. I think that was the hardest. It was hard to get into it and start producing. You started the season coming off an injury and seemed to get better as the year went along. What did you feel like you learned as a player this season and playing in that league? I think the biggest steps I took this season was to really start playing good at the high level. I was playing with men who were really good and I started producing. I started controlling the puck, holding the puck, being strong in battles. I started winning battles and had like many shots on the net, started producing points. I could run over guys if I had to. It's good for me knowing what I'm capable of even at that high level. That's what I've learned this season. Your coach mentioned he thought you were learning you didn't need to hold back and could be aggressive. Yeah, I'm becoming a little more aggressive. I'm not a player who's searching for hits, searching to kill someone. That's not my style. But if I have to and if I had a good chance and feel like it's the right thing to do, then I'm never afraid to do it, even against 40-year-old men. If you return to Djurgården next season, you'll get a chance to play in the SHL. What would that opportunity mean for you to continue on with the team and test your game at the next level? The SHL, like you said, it's an even higher level. Like right now, I'm trying to prepare myself as much as I can for that league. Like, I have to get stronger, so I'm working on my physicals, I am working on ice in every part — my shot, my skating, my battling. I know it's another level and I need to be better if I want to be a good player at that level. Are there any players you try to model your game after? I think play similar to (Aleksander) Barkov. I would probably say him. … He has a good size like me, strong, good hockey sense. He's smart. He takes care of every zone, like defense and offensive. He works hard, looks like he's competing, really competing. Robert Kimby, Djurgården coach: 'His matureness as a person and as a hockey player, the way he kind of made up his mind to be as good as he possibly can, I think is his biggest strength. … But then on the ice, good vision, for us, an outstanding shot, good enough shot so that we put in him as a shooter in power play. Puck strength, and just the same there, even if he's different as a kid, he wants to be in the heat of the moment. If you look at any player, you see the skill with the stick and everything like that, but for me, it's the small things. He just stands out that he really wants to get better every day when he's on the ice. You kind of almost have to pull him back to save energy sometimes.' Advertisement Marcus Krüger, Djurgården teammate: 'He's like the whole package. He's big. He can skate. He can handle the puck, all that. But also he's really, like, curious, like he asks stuff, he tries stuff. So, yeah, he's not going to play with me for very long here. Soon you're going to get a taste of him there.' Frondell's shot was voted best among the draft class by most of the people Pronman recently talked to for his draft confidential. Another look at his shot: Two things that stand out about Frondell from watching multiple games of this past season are how he can make plays on the move and how he seeks to get to the middle of the ice for his shot. He can speed up and slow down and then position for the most optimal shot. This is an extended look at Frondell over a shift: Frondell has some creativity to his game, too. This is an example of that: This is another example of getting to the middle of the ice: Frondell didn't have an outstanding U18 tournament, but he was still noticeable without the production. The biggest criticism of Frondell was his inconsistent play this season. Kimby thinks Frondell has the potential to alter that. 'I think that he has everything within himself,' Kimby said. 'One of the things for me is to learn to release it night after night. Even if he's young, he's so strong. Sometimes even playing against men, you could almost feel like he didn't bring every muscle or every piece of power that he had. Because even in our league, he got penalties because he ran over guys sometimes. So that's one of the things just for him to get comfortable understanding that, well, this is how good I am, just to dominate. And I'm not saying it's a mental thing because it's not, because he's really strong, but to be comfortable just owning every game.' The Blackhawks have drafted a lot of centers over the last three years. That list includes Bedard, Frank Nazar, Ryan Greene, Oliver Moore, Paul Ludwinski, Martin Misiak, Sacha Boisvert, John Mustard, A.J. Spellacy, Martin Misiak and Aidan Thompson. It's unlikely all of them will make the NHL, and if they do, not all of them will play center. As of now, the Blackhawks seem set with Bedard and Nazar being their top two centers. Greene might be their third. Advertisement Frondell believes he's best at center, but he's also comfortable at wing. 'I would say that in the future I'd see myself as a center,' Frondell said. 'That's what I feel like I'd like to play the most. But in the first half (of the season), I was right winger. Second half of the season, I was left winger. And I feel comfortable playing anywhere. I know what to do on each side.' Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was asked recently about his abundance of drafted centers and already having Bedard and Nazar in place. 'As we sit here today and looking forward, we do see (Bedard and Nazar) as centermen,' Davidson said. 'Having said that, there is versatility in their skill set, and I believe (that's the case) in a lot of the players we've already drafted and in the player — if you're talking (pick) No. 3's case — that we could draft at that spot. They can play anywhere and help the team. But there's also a change that could occur from game to game, shift to shift or season to season where it gives the coach options. … We'll draft these other players who — I think for the most part — they've all bounced around and played different positions growing up. … We are looking for the best players, and they'll find a way to be effective and determine who's best suited for what positions. So we'll figure that out down the line.' Realistically, the wing is probably where Frondell would project right now with the Blackhawks. His skill set would be ideal on Bedard's or Nazar's line. He'd give the Blackhawks more size, an elite shot and an ability to create off the rush. Frondell will likely play next season in the SHL. He could be ready for the NHL by the 2026-27 season. Until then, he'll have the ideal player to look up to in Krüger.
