Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard just made a rookie’s NHL debut feel a little bit more special.
Against the New York Islanders on Tuesday at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Bedard let his teammate and center Anton Frondell take the opening faceoff at center ice.
Bedard was supposed to do the honors for Chicago, but he skated over to Frondell and tapped the rookie with his stick to let him know that they’re switching places.
You can see that happen here in this video.
Nice gesture by Connor Bedard to let Anton Frondell take the opening faceoff in his NHL debut. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/O9zHiKrESa
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 24, 2026
It was a small gesture from Bedard, but it must have added to the surreal moment Frondell was having, as he realized his dream of playing in the NHL.
Fans appreciated what Bedard did for the rookie.
That’s my captain
— Ryan (@_RyanFromChi) March 24, 2026
Hard not to like this kid
— Boston☘️SportsGuy (@BSGuy33) March 25, 2026
Class from the future captain!
— Andrew Evans (@FigmentofYour19) March 24, 2026
i thought that was the sweetest thing in the world! 😭🖤❤️
— kaye (@kayeaobi) March 24, 2026
Classy move by Connor Bedard. Great way to welcome Anton Frondell to the NHL 👏
— Lina Center (@center342) March 25, 2026
Making the night even more memorable for Frondell was his contribution to Chicago’s 4-3 win over the Isles. With the score tied at 1-1 with less than two minutes left in the first period, Frondell recorded his first career point in the NHL with an assist on Ilya Mikheyev’s goal that gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.
The 18-year-old Frondell, who is from Sweden, was selected third overall by the Blackhawks in the 2025 NHL Draft
Before making his NHL debut, Frondell had 28 points on 20 goals and 8 assists in 43 regular-season games for Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League. The Blackhawks gave him a call soon after Djurgårdens IF was eliminated from the playoffs.
Frondell can keep it going on Thursday, when Chicago visits the Philadelphia Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
