Why Frank Nazar is the Blackhawks' perfect complement to Connor Bedard

YOU HEAR Frank Nazar before you see him.

There's a rich laugh. Some quick chirps. His Chicago Blackhawks teammates turning heads in his direction as Nazar comes into view. Smile beaming. Happy to be there.

It's striking then, given Nazar's affable persona, when his grin does fall. That's Nazar's automatic reaction -- steely, firm -- in the face of inquiry about the Blackhawks' surprisingly strong first half of the season and whether he shared (some) of the outward shock that Chicago was knocking on the door of a playoff berth.

"I don't go into any season not thinking it's going to be a strong season," a determined Nazar told ESPN in December. "So, it is what I expected from the group. We don't go into anything expecting to lose or expecting not to play well. We wanted to have a strong year regardless of what anyone thought. And I think all the guys would say the same."

It was a mini-mic drop moment for the 22-year-old who was, at the time, taking more responsibility than ever onto his broadening shoulders. Chicago was a .500 team, fun and explosive; collecting more wins than pundits would have predicted in September. Nazar had six goals and 21 points in 33 games, playing over 18 minutes per night. He was continuously improving.

The challenge at that time for Chicago to stay on track had become greater in recent days, since top-line center and 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard suffered a shoulder injury in the Blackhawks' 3-2 loss to St. Louis on Dec. 12.

Bedard's absence forced a next-man-up mentality throughout Chicago's dressing room -- specifically for their other top center, Nazar. There was no foreshadowing what would come to pass for Nazar -- or the Blackhawks as a whole -- yet Nazar's confidence in that he and the 'Hawks could hold the fort until Bedard's return was unwavering.

"I think we've been playing really well," he said then. "It's just sometimes things don't really go your way, but the process is there, and sooner or later, the results will show. I think we've been defending a lot better, and there are a lot of high spirits in this locker room throughout the last couple weeks. And really, I just think the process of becoming a great team is there. It's something to be happy about."

The glint creeps back into Nazar's eyes. But oh, how much can change in just 48 hours.

IT WAS FOUR GAMES into Chicago's stretch without Bedard.

Barely five minutes had elapsed in the first period of Chicago's game against Ottawa on Dec. 20. There was Nazar, hurtling towards the dressing room.

He'd been positioned seconds before in front of the Blackhawks' net when onrushing Senators' defenseman Jordan Spence stepped into a one-timer that ultimately connected with Nazar's chin. Like the frown that quickly clouded his face during questioning, Nazar's response was instantaneous: pain, and retreat.

Nazar did not return. It was Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill sharing the brutal outcome post-game: upper-body injury -- turning out to be a broken jaw. Recovery timeline? Four weeks.

It was a worst-case scenario. Bedard gone. Nazar unavailable. Chicago was swiftly down its best pair of pivots, and what did it matter that they are 20 and 22 years old respectively? Their emergence had given the Blackhawks a boost, reason to believe in their full potential. That the future was, conceivably, now. Or at least closer at hand than previously thought.

Nazar's injury was yet another test of Chicago's resilience. It also served to highlight -- in case there were any doubts -- how valuable Bedard and Nazar are not just to the Blackhawks but in the conversation about the NHL's next wave of young talents.

"The two of them, they've definitely taken it on their shoulders to say, 'I'm going to win games for us' night after night," veteran forward Jason Dickinson said of the duo. "So, that sort of leadership has been nice to see, because it's growth."

Equally disappointing then, was seeing it be put on hold while the pair were on the mend. And Chicago sorely missed each skater. The Blackhawks went 5-6-1 before Bedard checked back in on Jan. 10, a tumultuous run that included losing seven of eight and winning four straight. Bedard knew by then that whether because of the time missed or not, Team Canada had passed on him for its Olympic roster at the upcoming Games in Milan Cortina.

Blashill was not bashful the week before about what a mistake that was by the Canadians, to deny its roster a game-changing talent like Bedard.

"I don't think the rest of the league knows how good a two-way, winning hockey player Connor has become," Blashill said. "I don't know why... the metric I trust is your impact on winning. And the reason I know he's a big-time winner is when he was in our lineup we were one point out of a [Western Conference] wild-card spot, and since then [on Jan. 1], we're 1-6-1. You don't have that impact if you're just a point getter. You only have that impact if you're a true two-way, winning player. And that's what he's become."

It's the sort of affirmation Nazar would like to receive, too. Chicago selected Nazar 13th overall in the 2022 draft, and allowed him to season for two years after that at the University of Michigan. Nazar's first campaign with the Wolverines was limited by injury, but he made up for it with an eye-popping 2023-24 season, where he produced 17 goals and 41 points in 41 games.

"There was a real presence when Frank came into the lineup as a freshman," Wolverines' teammate Jackson Hallum said. "This was not someone who's a normal player. He brings a lot of pace. He's a really fast skater, really strong. I feel like that's the biggest thing about Frankie. You don't realize how strong he is. Our strength coach [at Michigan] would say that the most underrated strong guy on our team was Frank, by far. He has, like, weird strength."

"I just remember he worked so hard and was so talented," Wolverines teammate Adam Fantilli added. "It was great for all of us when he was able to come back [in 2023-24] and to help that team. And then you really got to see how well he could play the next year. It was huge."

Hallum bonded quickly with Nazar when they were randomly paired as roommates in 2022. On their first day in Ann Arbor, the duo simply walked around campus together, foregoing the popular social activities for their own private tour of where they'd spend the next few years.

It wasn't long before their friendship truly cemented, with a nod to Nazar's perpetual team-first mentality.

"Frank used to really like video games; I don't know if he plays as much anymore," Hallum said. "But it was funny actually, when we first moved into Michigan, we were both playing this one game [Call of Duty: Black Ops II] and we were like, 'I bet we could beat it together,' and we ended up beating the game together on like the third day of knowing each other and being in the dorm."

Nazar even tried to get his new pal on a few highlight reels. Hallum and Nazar were paired on a line for Nazar's first game as a Wolverine following injury in 2022-23, and set up Hallum with a between-the-legs pass for a breakaway -- but Hallum missed the shot.

"Fast forward a year [to 2024], and he does that same between-the-leg pass to Gavin Brindley," Hallum recalled. "And he scored to send the team to the Frozen Four. And it goes all over everything on social media. And Frank gets off the ice after and finds me and goes, 'if you had scored on the one I gave you it would have been popular too.' And he's right. Frank is so skilled and he just beats to his own drum. He's his own man."

GOING FROM THE RHYTHMS of collegiate life into the real world is tough on plenty of 20-somethings, no matter how self-assured. Nazar found he was no exception, even if the job he stepped into was professional hockey. When Nazar went from Michigan to Chicago last year, there were bumps along the way in his transition. Nazar spent time in the American Hockey League figuring it all out, but ended his season back with the Blackhawks, netting 12 goals and 26 points through 53 NHL tilts.

When Nazar arrived for training camp this past summer, it was with trademark good humor and work ethic still intact. Blashill could sense Nazar was ready to pick up where he left off in the spring, capping off his rookie campaign with seven goals and eight points in Chicago's final seven games, while showing further evolution in his craft.

"He had a great end of the year, and Frank's had a good camp," Blashill said in October. "I think what happens then is his expectations rise. Frank could almost play the exact same, but the expectations are different. His game has to rise. He can't stay the same, and I think Frank knows that."

Nazar sees his development journey -- the good and bad -- as a positive, helping him gather tools to manage the NHL's ebbs and flows.

"I think it's been a lot of ups and downs throughout the year so far," he said. "I've been working through some things, right? It's my first full season in the Show. I'm trying to learn as much as I can and take in as much information as I can and learn from that moving forward. But I think really just when I move my feet and I stay engaged in the play and am just ready to go with each shift at a consistent basis, that's when I'm playing my best."

It's the Blackhawks' veterans guiding Nazar now. He singled out captain Nick Foligno and Dickinson as role models, seeking their advice on navigating life on and off the ice.

"A lot of it's just taking care of your body, and realizing your body's your temple," Nazar said. "And it's not like college, where you only play on the weekend, so like, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, you can eat junk food and do whatever you want, right? Now, it's like, you've got to take care of your body a bit. And get some good sleep. That's a huge aspect of it."

Foligno is happy to share his wisdom, but also insists some of Nazar's most important qualities are simply inherent. It's part of why Nazar rarely needs introduction walking into a room.

"It's just energy. Energy is a choice," Foligno said. "Frank chooses to bring a ton of energy into each day -- I don't think he even chooses it, I think it's just natural for him. He loves his teammates, loves being here, and loves being a Chicago Blackhawk. I think you want more guys like that around.

"He rubs off on everybody. It's never a bad time when Frank is [around], and I think speaks volume about him as a person and him understanding he has to bring that. Everybody has to play a role, and it's not just what he does on the ice for this group but off the ice too. It's pretty impressive for a young guy."

That put the Blackhawks worse off -- in more ways than one -- without Nazar. Chicago lost three straight games after blanking Nashville in Bedard's return, as their forward depth continues to suffer without Nazar (the Blackhawks managed just four total goals in those three losses).

IT'S BEEN THAT KIND of roller coaster season across the league, though, with a condensed schedule necessitated by February's Olympic break making the day-to-day standings quite fluid.

That's Bedard's take, anyway. Moreso than any other season, it ain't over 'til it's over.

"It's exciting," Bedard said before taking on the Predators. "I think you look at the standings and if you lose a couple games, everyone thinks you suck, then you win a couple and you're back in the playoff race. So it's an exciting time for us and obviously we have to keep stacking the wins because every game is so important."

Chicago's recent falter could be dampening their postseason chances, yet the Blackhawks' spirit remains unscathed. Nazar is slated to make his return to the Blackhawks lineup on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing 14 games. The liquid diet necessitated by surgery dropped about eight pounds from Nazar's frame, but he has steadily gained it back.

Regardless of his size, Nazar is poised to continue carrying on with what the Blackhawks already believe: that this group has good bones. And solid character. And enough fortitude to make the most of their opportunity to surprise again -- publicly, that is. Though not themselves.

"We just stick together," goaltender Spencer Knight said. "It's that simple for us. It's kind of like that fundamental culture piece that you fall back on. Just keep battling together. Whoever has to come in, get them in, and we just keep rolling. We're a pretty young team, yeah. But we work hard. We come with a great attitude. And we're just trying to have fun. That's the biggest thing for us."