Blackhawks recall AHL rookie scoring leader Frank Nazar

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Friday that the club has recalled center Frank Nazar from the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs.

Through 21 appearances with the IceHogs this season, Nazar has registered 11 goals and 13 assists to lead all AHL rookies with 24 points.

The 13th overall selection from the 2022 NHL Draft, Nazar is a graduate of the NCAA’s Michigan Wolverines. In 41 outings in 2023-24, the Detroit, Mich., native finished sixth in Wolverines scoring, notching point-per-game production with 17 goals and 24 assists.

Nazar signed his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks in April and saw a brief trial run with the team in the twilight of the 2023-24 NHL campaign. In all, Nazar made three appearances, scoring in his NHL debut as his first-ever shot got by Carolina Hurricanes netminder Pyotr Kochetkov.

In a corresponding roster move Friday, the Blackhawks placed defenseman Alec Martinez on the injured reserve due to a neck injury. The 37-year-old rearguard has been out of the lineup for the past two games. It marks the second absence this season for Martinez, who earlier missed a 12-game stretch due to a groin ailment.

For Nazar, he joins a Blackhawks squad that has struggled to find the win column and the back of the net this season, as the club’s 72 goals rank third-lowest league wide. On the season, Chicago sits 9-18-2 and 14 points back of a playoff position in the Western Conference.

Earlier this month, the Blackhawks made headlines in dismissing head coach Luke Richardson and appointing interim bench boss Anders Sorensen, the NHL’s first Swedish-born head coach. Sorensen is a familiar face to Nazar, as he was previously the head coach of the IceHogs.

Since Sorensen’s appointment, the Blackhawks are 1-2-0, with eight goals scored through the three-game stretch. Chicago returns to the ice Saturday versus the New Jersey Devils.