On Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks had three prospects participate in the World Junior Championships, which kicked off on Friday in Minnesota. There were also a handful of prospects playing that the Chicago Blackhawks may have their eyes on at the 2026 NHL Draft.
Let’s start with the ones already drafted by Chicago:
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Anton Frondell
Anton Frondell scored the first goal of the entire event to put Sweden up 1-0. He also set up the next goal, a power play goal scored by Victor Eklund.
In addition to the two points, Frondell had some other incredible chances that were saved by either the goaltender or the post. His defensive game is also impactful, as it was difficult for Slovakia to do anything of note when he was on the ice.
Blackhawks Prospect Anton Frondell Dominates In Sweden’s WJC Win Over Slovakia
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Frondell is Sweden’s key to winning their first Medal in 14 years and third ever. There is a lot of high-end prospect talent on this team, and Frondell is right there at the top.
AJ Spellacy
AJ Spellacy is never going to be the guy leading the highlights like Anton Frondell, James Hagens, or Michael Misa, amongst others, but he does make life easier on star players.
In Team USA’s 6-3 win over Team Germany, Spellacy was noticeable. His line was playing the right way for the majority of the game. Spellacy, in particular, had two assists.
He also created chaos in front of the net, laid some big hits, stood in front of the net, tipped pucks, and did a good job gaining the offensive zone whenever that was asked of him.
If Team USA is going to win its third Gold Medal in a row, Spellacy must continue playing his role at a high level. If he keeps bringing some offense in addition to the other things he does well, this team will be deeper than originally thought.
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Vaclav Nestrasil
Team Czechia is looking to medal for the fourth year in a row. They have upset Canada a lot in recent years, but were unable to do so in the opener on Friday. The Canadians pulled out a 7-5 victory, but it was far from easy.
One of Czechia’s best and most productive players is Chicago Blackhawks prospect Vaclav Nestrasil. As the other two players mentioned, he had two points as well. Nestrasil’s two points came in the form of assists, proving that his playmaking abilities are off the charts.
When the Blackhawks drafted Nestrasil 25th overall in 2025, there was a lot of unknown. However, whether it’s his production at UMass or here playing for Czechia, he has shown that to be a great decision by Kyle Davidson.
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2026 NHL Draft
The Chicago Blackhawks will come out of the holiday break with the worst record in the National Hockey League. With Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar out for a couple of weeks, it is hard to see the Hawks climbing out of their current slump any time soon.
That could mean that another top-three pick is on the horizon. Right now, that means looking at Gavin McKenna, Keaton Verhoeff, and Ivar Stenberg.
Canada made the curious decision to healthy scratch Verhoeff, but that won’t impact his status as a top-three pick in the draft. The North Dakota defenseman has been having an incredible year playing defense, but he is one of the younger players on Team Canada, trying to find his way.
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Gavin McKenna, on the other hand, is Canada’s go-to offensive player right now. He is projected to be the number one overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and has been for some time. The Penn State forward has taken some time to adjust to the NCAA game after dominating his whole major junior career, but you see his true abilities come out at a tournament like this.
McKenna had two assists in the win. His playmaking has a certain level that other players his age can’t reach. There is a lot more where that came from for McKenna, and the Blackhawks are going to be scouting him hard. A player like that joining Connor Bedard, his relative through marriage, would do wonders for the future of the franchise.
Ivar Stenberg, who also has the pedigree to be the first overall pick, had a big day as well. The only goal that Sweden scored that wasn’t scored or assisted by Anton Frondell was the game-winner put in by Stenberg.
His game-breaking talent will make an NHL team very happy as soon as next year. If the Blackhawks were able to add him and Frondell in the same year, it would be franchise-altering for them.
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NHL teams, especially ones like the Blackhawks who are going to be picking high, had to be happy with what they saw from McKenna and Stenberg on Friday.
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