Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Anton Frondell wins the gold Medal with Team Sweden.
The Chicago Blackhawks were excited as an organization when they selected Anton Frondell with the third overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He has since been great as a teenager in the SHL, and now he is complete with the 2025-26 World Junior Championships.
Frondell and Team Sweden won the Gold Medal on Monday night. This is their first Gold Medal at the World Junior Championships since 2012. Every player on the team, including Frondell, played incredibly and deserves this win.
Sweden defeated Czechia 4-2 to take the tournament. To get to the final game, they defeated their biggest rival in Team Finland, in a shootout (Frondell scored the winning goal). Along the way, they were great at defending, scoring, and performing on special teams.
On the Silver Medal-winning Czechia team was Blackhawks draft pick Vaclav Nestrasil. The 2025 25th overall pick had a wonderful tournament as well, including an assist in the Gold Medal Game. Once again, Czechia had a solid showing at this tournament, and Nestrasil was a big part of this one. He finished the tournament with two goals and six assists for eight points in 7 games.
On the Gold Medal-winning Sweden Team, Frondell was one of their top players. After advancing to the championship, he was named one of the "3 Best Players on Team Sweden". Once they won Gold, he was named to the Tournament All-Star Team, along with being called the Top Forward.
Frondell scored a remarkable five goals in the tournament. He also added 3 assists for 8 points in 7 games played. Those stats, his individual awards, and the Gold Medal speak to how successful he was for his country. It won't be long before he is in Chicago's lineup, making an impact.
"Incredible," Frondell said when asked how it felt to win. "I'm just so happy right now. It's crazy. I love it."
The young players on this team seemed to enjoy each other. Their chemistry and friendship were strong off the ice, which led to success on the ice.
"This group, it's fantastic how tight we are. We're like a big family." Frondell continued. "It's important if you want to win."
Chicago did have a third player participating in the tournament. AJ Spellacy and Team USA went out during the quarterfinals. They were defeated in overtime by Team Finland, ending their quest to three-peat at the tournament. Spellacy finished with one goal and three assists for four points in five games.
Ahead of the Gold Medal Game, Canada defeated Finland to claim the Bronze Medal. There were no Blackhawks prospects involved in that game, but there was a lot of scouting that took place.
2026 NHL Draft
Given the nature of the up-and-down season that the Chicago Blackhawks are having at the NHL level, it is hard to predict where they will be drafting. However, there were a lot of great young players who showed their stuff throughout the tournament:
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