Nazar trying to stand out among crowded forward group with Blackhawks

CHICAGO -- Frank Nazar is aware of the challenge facing him.

The 20-year-old rookie center is looking to make the Chicago Blackhawks roster out of training camp, but that roster is now much more veteran-heavy after the Blackhawks signed eight players as free agents, including five forwards, on July 1. But Nazar, selected by Chicago with the No. 13 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is taking the big-picture approach.

“I just view it as, we're here to achieve one big goal as a team,” Nazar said Wednesday. “Obviously there are things they need to do and things that our team needs to do and steps we need to take, so if I'm going to be part of that group, I've got to work and I've got to earn that spot anyway.”

Nazar will start trying to do just that when he plays in the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase in Maryland Heights, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, this weekend. The Blackhawks face the St. Louis Blues prospects on Friday and the Minnesota Wild prospects on Saturday.

“Just getting used to the pace of play,” Nazar said of his focus this weekend. “I played college and everything, but just be able to go out there and get my legs back and get the feeling of playing hockey and all the small details. That's the biggest thing of these games for me.”

Next week, Nazar will attend his first training camp with Chicago after playing the past two seasons at the University of Michigan, where he had 48 points (19 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games and helped lead Michigan to back-to-back Frozen Four appearances in 2023 and 2024.

The Blackhawks got a quick glimpse of Nazar when he played three games for them at the end of last season. His debut on April 14 was a memorable one; he scored his first NHL goal on his first shot in a 4-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The abilities he showed then have been evident during rookie camp.

“I think everybody sees the talent and the high-end stuff,” Rockford coach Anders Sorensen said Wednesday. “Today for example in practice, especially toward the end, I thought he looked really good with some of his habits and some of the things that’ll be really important for him to show in camp to (Chicago coach) Luke [Richardson] and his staff to make this team. But some of the habits we noticed today were really encouraging to see.”

Nazar said his biggest focus this summer was conditioning.

“Going from USHL (United States Hockey League) to college, it's something different that guys in the U.S. aren't used to, playing 82 games a year. That's something I worked on a lot, being able to get used to that and do it day in and day out and be able to go be my best every single day.”

Entering the summer, Nazar’s chance of making the opening-night roster looked good. Then the Blackhawks signed several unrestricted free agents, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Pat Maroon, Craig Smith and re-signed restricted free agent Joey Anderson. Forward Taylor Hall is also back after missing most of last season because of knee surgery in November 2023.

It won’t be surprising if Nazar is playing in the NHL at some point this season. If he ends up starting in Rockford, Chicago’s American Hockey League affiliate, it would be great experience for him. Sorensen said Nazar would be getting a lot of minutes and responsibilities with Rockford -- “he’s a No. 1-center-type of guy,” the coach said.

Nazar already possessed confidence, and gained even more from his three-game NHL cameo last season. Now, he wants to build on that.

“I think I did well," he said. "I don't think I just 'held my own' when I played those three games. So, obviously I've got something to work for. But I'm excited to see what goes on after camp.”