Blackhawks Recall Top Prospect to Debut vs. Devils; What to Expect

When the New Jersey Devils host the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow afternoon, Connor Bedard won’t be the only high-profile promising forward in the lineup. On Friday, the Blackhawks recalled their top prospect, forward Frank Nazar, who will make his season debut at the Prudential Center on Saturday.

Nazar is a former teammate of Devils defenseman, Luke Hughes. Nazar and Hughes played at the University of Michigan, Division I in the NCAA. In the 2022-23 season, Nazar and Hughes captured the NCAA’s Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament Championship.

MORE: Why Team USA Told Devils Luke Hughes Not Yet (+)

Now, the former Wolverines will face each other for the first time in the NHL.

Nazar made his NHL debut at the end of the 2023-24 season, following the conclusion of Michigan’s season. He signed his entry-level contract and debuted against the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring his first NHL goal on his first shot. The 20-year-old played two additional games against the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings.

Nazar earned his recall by excelling at the American Hockey League level, scoring 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games, which is tied for sixth in the AHL scoring race.

The timing of Nazar’s recall makes sense. The Blackhawks just made changes behind their bench after they fired Luke Richardson and promoted Anders Sorensen as the interim head coach. Sorensen coached Nazar at the AHL level with the Rockford Icehogs, so there will certainly be familiarity between player and head coach.

The Blackhawks have certainly struggled to score this season. They’re the third-worst in the NHL, averaging 2.45 goals per game. In fact, Ryan Donoto is Chicago’s leading goalscorer with 10 tucks. Bedard is well behind his rookie scoring pace, with just six goals in 29 games thus far.

The idea is that Nazar will bring more offense.

The small, 5-foo-9 forward is incredibly quick and possesses plus skating ability. Sorensen knows how to utilize Nazar’s skating, as he did in Rockford. Although the Blackhawks drafted Nazar as a playmaker, he’s improved his scoring ability, giving him another element in his arsenal. With his skating ability, Nazar knows how to draw defenders to either dish pucks for assists or beat defenders for high-danger scoring opportunities.

The expectation is that Nazar will step into the second-line center role behind Bedard to give the fans a glimpse of Chicago’s 1-2 punch of the future. If so, Nazar will play between ex-Devils forward Taylor Hall and Tyler Bertuzzi.

The Devils host the Blackhawks at 1 P.M. on Saturday.

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