The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled forward Frank Nazar from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League and moved defenseman Alec Martinez to the injured reserve (as per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic). The 20-year-old Nazar is a first-round pick from 2022 (13th overall) and is one of the Blackhawks’ top forward prospects.
Nazar has been terrific in his first AHL season with Rockford, he currently leads all AHL rookies with 11 goals and also has 13 assists through the first 21 games. Overall, he is sitting sixth in AHL scoring. The Detroit, Michigan native was expected to spend half of his first professional season in the AHL, but his play thus far has exceeded expectations and expedited the process.
Nazar dressed in three NHL games last season for Chicago, posting his first NHL goal on April 14th. Chicago will be hoping that Nazar can bring some offense to the lineup and add stability to the center position. The door is certainly wide open for Nazar to grab an NHL spot going forward, particularly with Chicago’s offense struggling so badly. The Blackhawks have just 71 goals this season, which has them ranked 30th out of 32 teams.
The Blackhawks placed Martinez on the IR retroactive to December 7th. Martinez is dealing with a neck injury that he suffered back on the 7th when he took a puck to the neck. He was initially called day-to-day but exited yesterday’s practice and left the team’s road trip to head back to Chicago for further testing. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion has a goal and three assists in 15 games this season, his first with Chicago.
About time, The Hawks are obviously rebuilding, And they have been auditioning numerous defenders in the current season, But when it comes to forwards there haven’t been to many opportunities for the kids, Nazar should be a solid bottom 6 guy for years to come.
id say more middle or top 6, he’s a Barzal comparable in play style not really a bottom 6 type, he’s probably more of a 2nd liner
That’s because they actually have depth when it comes to d prospects. especially NHL or near NHL ready. Levshunov, korchinski, vlasic, Jones might be an excellent top 4 as soon as next year. Kaiser, Allen, crevier, Phillips, del maestro all project at least top 7 and are 23 and under. It’s why I hated the Brodie signing, y the second year .
I didn’t mind Brodie, But Martinez, As great as he once was as a shutdown guy,He’s not aging well.
Brodie could still be traded or they can give another prospect an extra year in the minors, no need to rush
Martinez is only on a 1 year deal and likely will be traded at the deadline, there will still be a market for a 3 time Cup Winner on the back end
The defensive prospects are also ahead of the offensive ones. Vlasic, Kaiser, Phillips, Crevier, Del Mastro — all those guys drafted in the years before Nazar was drafted–2022. And Korchinski (who was technically ahead of Nazar, too) only made it last year because he couldn’t go to Rockford.