When you're born and raised in Hockeytown, your first NHL game at Little Caesars Arena should be a cherished memory. But by the time Frank Nazar checked that box in January 2025 with a 5-3 Chicago Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings, he was already a grizzled vet at that barn. “I played a pre-season game, a few college games – actually scored my first college goal at Little Caesars,” he said. “Every time I play there, it’s a blast. I always have, like, 100 family members, so that makes it a lot of fun. It’s great.”

Until he turned pro with the Blackhawks in April of 2024, Nazar had always stuck to his home state. He played with Detroit’s famed Honeybaked youth program, then developed in Plymouth with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program before shifting to Ann Arbor for two seasons at NCAA Michigan.

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But it was a positional shift that may have had the biggest impact on Nazar’s development. Young players often move from center to the wing as they reach higher levels. Naturally speedy and somewhat undersized, Nazar went the other way – pining to play in the middle before finally getting his chance in his age-17 season. “I had asked my coaches my whole life, ‘Put me at center,’ and they always told me ‘No, you’re wing,” he said. “Finally, my first year at the NTDP, I started off as a wing, and I was not doing well at all. Actually, I was pretty horrible, I’m not going to lie. Then we had a bunch of guys get sick with COVID, and we needed a center. I told the coach, ‘Hey, put me at center.’ I was joking with him, and he’s like, ‘All right, we’ll see.’ He put me at center, and I had an amazing game and never looked back from there.”

"I think it was really, really good for my development."

- Frank Nazar on his AHL time with coach Anders Sorensen

It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish. By the end of 2020-21, Nazar was the leading scorer on a U-17 squad that also included talents such as Logan Cooley, Cutter Gauthier and Lane Hutson. He finished third on the U-18 squad in 2021-22, and that June, the Blackhawks picked him 13th overall.

Though Nazar missed the first four months of his freshman NCAA season due to injury, his Wolverines reached the Frozen Four in both of his college years. He, along with many of his NTDP mates, won his first international gold medal at the 2024 world juniors. Then, in April, he scored his first NHL goal in his pro debut against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last fall, Nazar was assigned to AHL Rockford to learn the pro game. Playing big minutes in a first-line center role, he thrived under longtime IceHogs coach Anders Sorensen. “He allowed me to just go out there and play my game, playing all types of situations,” Nazar said. “He let me be free, as well, in creating plays and making plays and having fun out there. He let me be free in that regard, and I think it was really, really good for my development.”

When Sorensen was summoned to Chicago to replace Luke Richardson Dec. 5, Nazar followed a week later, and he never looked back. “I texted him congratulations, and he texted me right after: ‘It was a great time in Rockford’ – stuff like that – and ‘we’ll see you soon,’” Nazar said. “It was really cool to see him say something like that, and I know that he knows what I bring to the table.”

Though he managed just one point in his first 10 games after his call-up, Nazar picked up the pace from there. From Jan. 5 to the end of the season, he logged 25 points in 43 games, including five goals and nine points in Chicago’s last nine games, while playing second-line center behind Connor Bedard.

"I had an amazing game and never looked back from there."

- Frank Nazar on getting a chance to play center

Brimming with confidence and looking to play more hockey, he accepted the invitation to play at the men’s worlds for the first time, and he shone. He was named one of the United States’ top three players and tied his NTDP running mate Cooley for the team lead with 12 points in 10 games as the Americans snapped a gold-medal drought that stretched all the way back to 1933.

And while the Blackhawks may have struggled to put wins together last season, Nazar is a glass-half-full guy. He appreciates the historic moments that were part of his rookie season: the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field, Alex Ovechkin’s record-tying goal against the Blackhawks in April and the final NHL games for newly retired teammates Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez.

With Jeff Blashill now installed behind the Chicago bench, next season is a clean slate for the team. “I know that every player,” Nazar said, “is going into the summer with a point to prove.”

This article appeared in our 2025 Champions issue. Our cover story focuses on the 2025 Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, specifically the elite play of defenseman Seth Jones, along with a recap of each game of the Cup final. We also include features on Sharks center Will Smith and Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans. In addition, we give our list of the top 10 moments from the 2024-25 NHL season.

You can get it in print for free when you subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/Free today. All subscriptions include complete access to more than 76 years of articles at The Hockey News Archive.

Blackhawks' Free Bird: How Frank Nazar Went From The AHL To Chicago's Potential No. 2 Center