Regardless, Frondell knows there's a lot of work ahead for him and the Blackhawks. The Trangsund, Sweden native discussed making the jump from Djurgarden in the Swedish Hockey League to the NHL at the end of last season, shifting from wing to center, learning from Bedard and Kane and more in a Q&A with NHL.com.
How did you spend your summer getting ready for your first full season in the NHL?
"The season was long from Djurgarden in Stockholm to the NHL, playing at Worlds, so when I got back home, I felt like half of the summer had already been gone. So I took a little break and then I just pretty quick jumped back on the ice again. Practice, skating, you need all the parts. You need the skating, the off-ice in gym, the shooting. So it's like always you try to do everything you can and hopefully get ready and better for next season."
What did you learn from those 12 games in the NHL at the end of last season?
"The biggest difference, and the thing you feel right away when you step on a U.S.-sized rink, is how tight it is compared to Europe-sized, where you have a lot more space, a lot more time. In the NHL, everything was tighter. You had less time when you had the puck. Someone was trying to forecheck you right away and it's just (making) quicker decisions and the need of having speed all the time was the thing I kind of felt was the biggest difference."
You played wing most of last season with Djurgarden and a little with the Blackhawks before shifting to center. Are you comfortable at center if they want you there this season?
"All of my career so far, it's been a lot of games as a center, a lot of games as a wing. It's not like I don't like or don't feel comfortable playing any of them. I'm used to playing both. They played me as a winger the first three games. It was cool for me playing with Connor Bedard in my first game. And after that, they tried me as a center in the next nine games, and I felt like it worked pretty well. I had good wingers on my sides, but I really enjoyed playing in the middle of the ice and helping out a lot in the (defensive) zone and helping the (defensemen) more."
Are the defensive responsibilities the biggest difference with playing center for you?
"First off, you need to take face-offs. That’s an important thing of the game. It decides if you start with the puck or start hunting the puck. Then, just over the ice, I think you need to have a little bit more of a defending mindset than if you are a winger."
You won only 30.2 percent of your face-offs last season. Is that an area you worked on during the offseason?
"Yeah, I always try to work on it after practice or whatever. That was also one thing I felt when I played my 12 games, how good people are on face-offs compared to what I’m used to."
What did you learn from watching Bedard last season?
"Just his confidence and how he just looks like he plays without fear. He's challenging himself, trying to do moves, and he always succeeds too because he really believes in himself. The things he can do, I would never be able to do some of those things he's doing with the puck. So, very cool to have such a cool guy or a good guy on the team, and if I get to play with him again I will be really excited for that."
How does the team get by without him to start the season?
"The whole team looks really strong. We made up a couple of trades, signed new players and also new prospects who will be at the camp and trying to fight for a spot. The level of the team just gets better and better every year because we are the youngest team in the League. We will just learn, grow, get better, and everyone will take steps for every season that goes by. So I think as a team, we just get better. Then, Connor is a really good, important piece on the team."
Can you sense Bedard's competitive drive to help the Blackhawks become a playoff team again?
"I was only there a short time and what I felt is he will be one of the leaders of the team. Even though he's young, he's not afraid to speak, to say something. I know the other players listen to him because of how good he is and also how he makes people feel comfortable and feel welcome and seen. That was my first impression when I got there. He texted me after the draft and said, 'Hey, congrats.' And a couple days before I flew over to play, they heard that I would be coming and he texted me again and was like, 'Call or text if you need something,' just making me feel comfortable and welcome in a really good way."
What did you think when you heard that Kane signed with the Blackhawks?
"I use the word cool a lot, but it is cool to have a chance to practice with him, play a game with him, maybe play with him. I don't know the lines or anything, but just skating with him would be like a dream. He's that childhood kind of hero you watched growing up and also the hero in Blackhawks history. Also, for the team, he knows how it is to win and to win in Chicago. I think that's really important to have someone like that on the team."
Do you think you can learn a lot from being around him?
"Of course. I think everyone on the team can learn something. I'm used to having such a guy on the team like (two-time Cup winner with the Blackhawks) Marcus Kruger in Djurgarden, who is a winner, who knows how it is to win. Just having guys like that in the locker room every day, it's really helpful."
