Photo: Simon Hastegård / BILDBYRÅN / kod SH / SH0529
C/W - #14 Djurgården IF (HockeyAllsvenskan)
H/W: 6’1, 205 lbs
DOB: 07.05.2007
Shoots: L
In 2023-2024, Anton Frondell made his mark on the hockey landscape as a 16-year-old. He torched the J20 Nationell, was a standout performer at the U18 level internationally, and even made his HockeyAllsvenskan debut (where he played up to 19-20 minutes a night). Despite suffering a lower body injury that sidelined him from the U18 WJC and the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs, Frondell had played his way to the top of many scouts lists heading into the 2025 NHL Draft season, with teammate and fellow draft eligible prospect Victor Eklund close behind.
Unfortunately, Frondell suffered another lower body injury (unrelated to his earlier one) in the August WJC U20 summer showcase which sidelined him until mid-October. It took Frondell a long time to get his legs back under him. He struggled mightily at the HockeyAllsvenskan level and didn’t look quite so powerful in the J20 Nationell either. Sure, he was dominant at the U18 level internationally, but that isn’t particularly impressive since he already proved he could do that last year. It wasn’t until late January/early February that he really found his form again. Starting January 27th, he went on a ridiculous heater, scoring 19 points in 11 HA games and looked like the top prospect everyone thought he would be. His presence and skill set were invaluable to Djurgården in their playoff push, ultimately ending in a resounding victory and SHL promotion. He was named to the HockeyAllsvenskan Rookie of the Year team, a well-deserved honour. While he had a very ho-hum U18 WJC by his standards, Frondell finished the year strong and has left no doubt that he is a prospect of the highest quality and the type of player any NHL franchise needs in their lineup.
His impressive tactical passing and playmaking, his quick hands in tight, his lethal shot, and the subtle heaviness to his game had him looking pro-ready early. He reads the ice at a very high level. His timing is elite. There may not be a draft eligible prospect better at finding and doing damage within small pockets of space than Frondell. He’s drawn to soft ice like a magnet. He battles with the biggest and baddest of them all, even at the pro level. Frondell isn’t without his question marks. He has a good deal of finesse and his skating mechanics are fine, but he lacks the speed-skill combo of a top end center prospect. He provides almost no puck-carrying value due to his lack of high-end quickness and agility. He can’t reliably chain together moves or attack heels to open space with his stickhandling. The space creation tools in Frondell’s arsenal are his smarts and his physicality, but that isn’t what typically drives offence at the NHL level. The hope is that his quickness will improve with an injury-free offseason and pre-season. Maybe the skill with speed improves along with it. However, based on what he’s shown this season, Frondell has the potential to become a very good 2C at the NHL level. Thanks to his versatility as a finisher and hard checker, he could even be a complimentary 1st line winger to a 1C who can make up for the lack of dynamic speed and skill.
Skating
Frondell’s skating ability, while not exactly bad, might be the one trait that is holding him back from that lottery pick range. He can get around the ice just fine, mixes up his speed well, and has a solid arsenal of moves that he incorporates into his patterns, but he doesn’t have that escape speed or agility. It hinders him from being able to skate the puck up ice from coast to coast with control or outrun defensive pressure in the offensive zone. Teammates will still hit Frondell in transition as he's already moving towards the offensive blueline, from where he’ll typically chip and chase.
Frondell is not the fastest or most explosive skater, nor does he project to be after he develops fully. While the rest of his skating mechanics are sound (hips, shoulders, weight transfers, etc.), his ankles are too stiff to allow him to get a good forward shin angle, hindering his ability to generate speed quickly. This was a more glaring issue right after he returned from his foot injury, but he’s looked faster and faster at the pro level in the months since then. Frondell’s skating grade is a conservative reflection of what he’s shown this season. However, there’s a solid chance Frondell puts to bed some of the worries about his puck-carrying upside as soon as next year, once he gets a solid offseason and preseason of work in (uninterrupted by lower body injuries, mind you).
Here we see an example of Frondell (#14 Blue) from the 1st half of the year. You can tell he isn’t quite up to speed here as he barely gets past the red line before two defenders close him out.
As you can see, nothing wrong with Frondell’s (#14 White) mechanics. He shifts his weight well, uses a couple quick crossovers to build some decent speed, and looks pretty fast in a straight line here. Clear difference between early season and this clip from April.
However, as you can see in this clip from the U18 worlds in May, Frondell (#16 yellow) still doesn’t have that escape speed you’d wish for in a player like him.
Frondell (#14 Blue) doesn’t give you a ton of value in transition, but he’s got enough speed and awareness to still push the pace away from the puck.
Frondell (#14 Blue) showing off some nice lateral mobility using crossovers, shifting across the ice before firing a great pass to an open teammate.
Grade: 52.5
Shooting
Frondell is a goal scorer, through and through. You don’t score at the pro level, in your draft year, at a per game pace not seen since Elias Pettersson if you aren’t one. The quality of Frondell’s shot is fantastic and it’s a venerable threat from almost anywhere on the ice. He does not need a lot of time and space to get it off, either. The thing that separates Frondell from other high-scoring draft eligible prospects is his ability to find pockets of open ice and his ability to pop into that space with perfect timing.
Additionally, Frondell’s ability to fight for space and finish through contact using his physical strength adds yet another projectable dimension to his goal scoring upside at the NHL level. Frondell is not above sniffing around the dirty areas and the net-front to hunt tips or rebound goals. Frondell’s ability to both score goals off of dazzling shots that beat the goalie clean, and though hard work in the dirty areas should help him hit the 30-goal mark in the NHL fairly consistently.
Frondell (#14 Blue) with strong off-puck positioning, pushing the pace off the rush and unloading for a goal. A weapon from anywhere.
Frondell (#16 Yellow) clapping a bomb on the powerplay. Expect a lot of this in the NHL.
Frondell (#14 Blue) showcasing his ability to constantly shift around and get open for scoring chances. Notice how, just before he scores, he waits for the defender to turn his head before cutting back into space in the slot.
Here we see Frondell’s (#14 White) good habit of following play and going to the net to hunt for second chance opportunities. Guess what? He got one, and scored.
This is almost unfair. Frondell (#14 Blue) with some fantastic pre-shot movement to change the angle of attack before wiring the puck home. Nasty stuff.
Grade: 57.5
Skill
Frondell has the balance of finesse and hard skills that all coaches want in a player. In addition to all the practical skill you’d want from a center, Frondell has quick hands in tight spaces and a solid deception game. It’s how he’s able to get around defenders despite his foot-speed disadvantage and make the most of his puck touches in tight pockets of space offensively. His passing and playmaking ability is tactical and precise, working the give n go to draw in pressure and open up options for teammates. He sees the ice really well and has a pretty deep toolbox, making him an offensive threat in so many ways.
What he lacks is the skill ceiling typically associated with someone lauded as a future top six center in the NHL. Frondell doesn’t have the dynamic puck handling ability to really create space for himself and open up passing lanes. He can’t get around multiple defenders or chain together moves like the elite stickhandlers of the NHL can. Without that skill-speed combo, Frondell is going to have a hard time driving offence for his line. That being said, Frondell should still be able to set up a fair share of scoring chances for his teammates and get the puck moving up ice through his passing.
Just a beautiful passing touch by Frondell (#14 Blue) to spring his teammate for a partial breakaway goal.
Here we see some shiftiness and boards-to-middle playmaking from Frondell (#14 White). Highly projectable stuff.
Frondell (#16 Yellow) snatching the ankles of the USA defender in a one-on-one situation and scoring.
Here we see Frondell (#14 Blue) controlling play with the puck on his stick, showcasing some deception and great vision on the cross-ice feed.
While this is from an early game, it does highlight some of the current limitations in Frondell’s (#14 White) game. He can sometimes be too predictable when attacking defenders head on because he doesn’t have the blow-by speed threat.
Grade: 55
Smarts
When it comes to Frondell’s hockey sense, every cliche in the book applies to him. He’s always in the right place at the right time, the puck seems to follow him around, etc. Cliches are cliches for a reason. Frondell reads the game several moves ahead. Partly because he has to stay ahead of the play to make up for his foot speed disadvantage, but mostly because he’s got a mature and natural feel for the game.
His excellent timing and spatial awareness let him break up opposing attacks before they happen and how he’s able to arrive into soft ice at the exact moment to receive a pass and score on offence. While he’s not the most valuable transition player on the ice, he still finds open ice in transition to connect entry/exit plays. In addition to his fantastic awareness and anticipation, Frondell is a very versatile player. He knows where to be *and* what to do in any situation. He has a very good understanding of his own abilities, making him very easy to play on a line with. Frondell’s hockey IQ should be one of, if not his greatest asset as he makes his way to higher levels. Once he arrives, after some adjustment, Frondell may be regarded as one of the smarter players in the NHL.
Frondell (#14 White) showing some great play reading in this clip. First, he knows his teammate is streaking up ice and hits him with a gorgeous pass. Then, he pressures the opposing puck carrier on the forecheck and forces a turnover, knowing he has support with him to counter attack. The rest is history.
Here we see an example of Frondell’s (#16 Yellow) two-way game. Bit of a miscommunication between him and #5 Yellow, but he makes up for it after by stopping a zone entry on USA’s 2nd attempt.
Here we see the tactical brain of Frondell (#14 Blue) in action. From breakout to off-puck transition pressure to high danger scoring chance, all in the span of a few seconds and passes.
Frondell (#14 Blue) isn’t immune to mistakes. Here we see him bobble the puck and play goes the other way. He hustles back to break up the attack at just the right moment.
Frondell (#14 White) with a perfectly timed drive to the middle of the slot, catching both defencemen sleeping. In this clip, and many in other sections, his ability to read the ice is on full display.
Grade: 60
Physical/Compete
Frondell is not the kind of “soft European” that your uncle rants about when watching Hockey Night in Canada. The great physical strength and punishing physical game that Anton Frondell plays with will definitely be an asset he can lean on in his future NHL career. Teammate and close friend Victor Eklund describes him as being “big like a mountain”. While Frondell has a relatively average frame, he’s over 200 pounds and knows how to use it. He finishes his checks hard. He doles out the kind of punishment that really grinds down opponents. Think the sort of “softening up” that teams do to each other early in a playoff series. In addition, his strength and balance make him tough to knock off the puck. Even if he can’t carry it as efficiently as you’d like, he can still insulate the puck effectively.
Frondell is a competitive son of a gun, too. He doesn’t have a high-end motor, but there’s no questioning his work ethic. You’ll never see him shy away from getting his hands dirty. He‘ll battle in front of the net with anybody and he’s not easy to move. Frondell’s overall skill set gives him a wide range of roles he can play on the ice, but it is this physicality that gives him the most versatility. He can play with anyone, in any role. While he may not have the upside of a true 1C, just imagine him playing 1st line wing of a smaller, speedier center (think Connor Bedard). Frondell plays the physical-finisher role, and they’re the puck-carrying playmakers. They’ll set ‘em up, Frondell will knock ‘em down.
Frondell (#14 Blue) quick in on the forecheck and delivers a solid thump to his man.
Remember that “softening up in the playoffs” stuff from earlier? Frondell (#14 White) showcasing some more of that heaviness and delivers a thunderous hit to his check, who stays down.
Here’s an example of Frondell’s (#14 Blue) value on the forecheck, showing off his ability to fight through contact and mix it up along the wall.
Here we see Frondell (#16 Yellow) shielding the puck with his frame and making a pretty creative play from below the goal line.
Imagine having Frondell (#14 Blue), a hammer and a finisher, on your 1st line. Every elite C’s dream winger.
Grade 57.5
OFP: 56.5
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.