Ranks near the top of his draft class because of his being a smooth skater and scorer who already has shown he is a complete package. Has a strong hockey understanding of his role in all three zones, and has speed, size, hands, puck handling ability. His long powerful stride eat up ice and his strong vision and long reach and natural offensive skills. He buries his shots consistently with Djurgärdens and not more than six feet, he always comes back deep in his end lowering strong hits to separate defenders from pucks. On the attack, he doesn’t need to break stride to catch and shoot and can snap off hard shots in full flight. A natural sniper and skater who also has a deadly one timer, but he also ranks up there as one of the finest defensive centers in the class, so he will help some NHL team in some way if he is a top six winger, end up in a third line center role as a pro. His upside is a top line centre based on the power in his skating, shot and two-way presence and smarts. If you use your precious early draft pick on him, you probably adding a power forward. You have reservations about his skating agility, his vision, playmaking, and foot skills, or that his defensive game like most prospects, is still a work in progress. Frondell’s boots have to be part a positive conversation that makes a NHL team draft him because I am they would have liked more views where he displayed higher playmaking ability, and for that matter, a much higher level of explosiveness in many areas, from transition to heavy battle zones. There are certainly not many players as physically advanced, with his best tool being his shot and leg drive. So if he lacks elusiveness, and an explosive gear along with an impressive. power skating, you end up pairing him with linemates who can drive play and open space which, he at this juncture, cannot. While I am piling on, I would expect him to add keener attack ideas, unless I am over exaggerating the his attack skills as an issue.
–Bill Płaczek–
