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The Chicago Blackhawks are not having a good year in the standings. Although they are not racking up wins, many good young players are starting to infiltrate their lineup.
One of those players is Frank Nazar. The former first-round pick is having a wonderful first full-year pro with the Rockford IceHogs and Chicago Blackhawks combined. He was tearing up the AHL before finally getting his well-earned call-up.
With Rockford this year, Nazar has 11 goals and 13 assists for 24 points in 21 games played. When he departed for Chicago, he was the best rookie in the American League.
We have reached the point where Nazar shouldn’t play another game in the AHL. There is not much more he can learn from playing there and his production has made its way into the NHL.
Nazar has now played in 21 NHL games this season. He has three goals and four assists for eight points in that time. The notable thing is that five of those eight points (2-3–5) have come in his last five games.
The win over the Lightning on Tuesday snapped a four-game point streak but he was still flying out there. The kid plays well at even strength, on the power play, and even shorthanded. He has more tools than people give him credit for.
Being a productive offensive player is the key to Nazar’s game and he’s now showing it at the highest level. He may not be a 90+ point guy yet but that could be the high end of his ceiling going forward.
Playing with Connor Bedard and other young players in the NHL is the best thing for Nazar going forward. The Blackhawks drafted him in the first round with the intention of him being an impact player and he has been that lately. There is no need for him to see another minor league game.
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