With Connor Geekie now in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s system, thanks to the Mikhail Sergachev trade, the Utah Hockey Club is in need of a replacement. But to be real, a promising talent like Tij Iginla is probably that player, yet if Utah picks in the top 10 again in 2025, they’ll land another top-tier prospect regardless.
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report recently concocted a compelling mock draft in which Utah will pick sixth. Now, this doesn’t mean they’ll receive the sixth pick in the lottery, but it’s a good starting point since there’s a chance they won’t be competitive this season.
Anyway, enough chatter: Who might Utah take with their first pick in the summer of 2025 when the draft once again rolls around? Per Richardson, that player might just be Anton Frondell, who put on quite a show in Sweden this past season.
Frondell played internationally for Team Sweden, where he was a captain for the U17 team and scored at a point-per-game level and then some - his U18 stats in international play rested at seven goals and 16 points in 11 games in 2023-24.
Could Anton Frondell join the Utah Hockey Club’s system in 2024-25?
Given Anton Frondell’s overall productivity, if he enjoys another outstanding season in Sweden, there’s a chance he could break into the top five. If Utah plays better than advertised in 2204-25, it would be hard to land Frondell.
Beyond his epic statistics for Team Sweden, Frondell also made his mark in Djurgardens, where he dominated in J18 with five goals and 10 points in four games. He also more than exceeded expectations in J20 Nationell, in which he put up 39 points and 18 goals in 29 contests, good for an outstanding 1.34 points per game.
It would be no surprise to see Frondell flat-out dominate in every league he plays in 2024-25, so if Utah doesn’t snag him, someone is getting a future star. If you’re a fan of international hockey, you’ll have several opportunities to follow Frondell, but even if you aren’t, expect to hear analysts utter his name several times throughout the season.