chicago_suntimes
Anton Frondell of the Chicago Blackhawks and Viggo Bjorck of the Winnipeg Jets, both rookies, share a bond that extends beyond the rink. Along with New York Islanders rookie Victor Eklund, the three Swedes keep a group chat buzzing with near-daily messages. "We three are best friends, so we're texting back and forth," Frondell said Friday. "We give each other energy."
However, Friday might have been quieter than usual because Frondell, Bjorck, and Bjorck's father enjoyed dinner together in Chicago. On Saturday, the chat will go silent as Frondell and Bjorck face off at the United Center. Their friendship is paused for about three hours whenever two of them meet on the ice. "We're enemies for the day," Frondell said. "[I] probably won't use that group chat. I'll just try to stay in my focus, my bubble. [But] outside of the ice, we're best buddies. I feel like that's pretty normal, though."
This will be the second NHL encounter between Frondell and Bjorck, who developed together in the Djurgardens organization in Stockholm alongside Eklund. The Blackhawks won the first matchup on October 15. As long as both remain in the Central Division, they will meet frequently. Frondell already faced Eklund on October 8 in New York. The triangle will be completed next Thursday when Eklund's Islanders visit Winnipeg.
For the Jets, the October 15 overtime loss in Chicago triggered a nine-game losing streak after a 4-1-1 start. A dramatic comeback on November 3 in Montreal reversed their fortunes, and they enter Saturday on a five-game winning streak. Their turnaround has coincided with Bjorck moving from center to wing.
That shift is notable because the Blackhawks have been reluctant to do the same with Frondell. The Jets selected Bjorck eighth overall in June to address a major organizational need at center, but he struggled to find immediate NHL success at that position. Through November 3, he had zero points in 16 games, and the Jets had been outscored 9-2 during his five-on-five ice time. Since moving onto veteran center Adam Lowry's line, he has recorded four assists and been a plus player, albeit in a small sample. "He's going to end up back in the middle down the road somewhere," Jets coach Scott Arniel said Friday. "But for a young player, 18 years old, he's been really good without the puck."
Frondell, meanwhile, continues to navigate choppy waters as he attempts to play center and handle matchups against elite opponents like Jets star Mark Scheifele as a 19-year-old. He has had some impressive games and moments, and it's easy to follow the Hawks' logic. They want him gaining maximum experience in the Jonathan Toews-type role they foresee him holding long-term. But considering Frondell has recorded only three points in his last 12 games, and that the Hawks haven't found any well-suited wingers for the first-line role next to Connor Bedard and Roman Kantserov, it's odd they haven't even given that idea a try. General manager Kyle Davidson said this week they might rethink things if Frondell was getting "steamrolled every night," but they believe he's holding up well enough to forge on.
Frondell himself obviously isn't worrying about his deployment, nor about his inconsistent box-score stats. He said he's proud of his recent hard work to improve at faceoffs and on the penalty kill. At his apartment, he still hasn't figured out how to watch NHL games on TV—which, to be fair, is no simple task. He hears all important updates through the group chat, though, and it sounds like he has raved about his Chicago experience so far. "He's told me it's a great city," Bjorck said. "He likes his teammates very much. I'm happy it's going well for him and he's found his way into the team. I'm just happy that he's happy."
Key Analysis
The friendship between Frondell, Bjorck, and Eklund highlights the personal connections that persist despite on-ice rivalries. As Frondell develops in Chicago, his usage as a center contrasts with Bjorck's shift to wing in Winnipeg, reflecting differing approaches to player development. The Jets' decision to move Bjorck to wing has yielded immediate benefits, while the Blackhawks remain committed to Frondell's growth at center, even as offensive production lags. This divergence will be worth monitoring as both players adjust to the NHL grind.
Originally reported by chicago_suntimes.