Rinkside Roundup: Frank Nazar finding his game in Chicago

Another week, another run of great performances — especially for a handful of prospects from one team in particular.

With Frank Nazar showing impressive growth in the NHL, Artyom Levshunov picking up production-wise in the AHL, and Nick Lardis tearing up the OHL with the Brantford Bulldogs, it has been a phenomenal week to be a Chicago Blackhawks fan — in spite of the team’s continued regular season struggles.

After those three, we’ll switch focus over to Washington’s Ilya Protas, who is developing wonderfully over in Windsor, and New Jersey’s Matyáš Melovský, whose outing on Thursday could arguably be called the best single-game QMJHL performance of the season.

We’ll kick this Roundup off with a look at Nazar’s NHL explosion.

Frank Nazar, RW/C, Chicago Blackhawks 

Season stats: 4G, 8A, 12PTS

Last Week Stats: 0G, 2A, 2PTS

Development is rarely linear — prospects’ performances ebb and flow, they add new skills to their arsenal and learn how to use them, and push through challenges that can sometimes either make or break them. In Frank Nazar’s case, missing practically his entire draft-plus-one campaign due to a hip injury was certainly a major hurdle — one that few NHL prospects overcome. He came back, went a point a game in his sophomore year at Michigan, but then struggled to translate his skillset to the NHL for a while — another hurdle.

Nazar didn’t necessarily light up the scoresheet this past week — two assists in two games is far from mind-boggling production — but his game against the Toronto Maple Leafs (and especially, the assist he created in that game) was a clear statement: Frank Nazar is a force to be reckoned with.

Off the faceoff, Nazar attacked the puck side, caught a tip pass on his backhand mid-stride, then faked the wide drive before breaking Max Domi’s ankles and setting up Philipp Kurashev cross-seam for a tap-in. These are the tools and habits that made Nazar one of our team’s favourite prospects in 2022 — high-end transition reads, angled attacks, targeting the middle at all costs, and of course, the dynamic combination of skating and puck skills. The Hawks have a pair of special forward prospects to build around for years to come.

Nick Lardis, LW, Brantford Bulldogs (Chicago Blackhawks) 

Season stats: 63G, 40A, 103PTS

Last Week Stats: 7G, 5A, 12PTS

If Nick Lardis leading the OHL with 63 goals this season doesn't excite Hawks fans, it’s unclear what will. The 67th-overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft is scoring well above a goal a game, and currently sits second in points at 103 — thanks, in part, to his recent seven-goal, 12-point week.

A positional scorer with a compact and accurate shot, Lardis scores most of his goals from the half-wall on the power play or by separating into dangerous ice and releasing before opposing defenders and goaltenders can react. He can turn bad passes into loaded shots by either adjusting his feet or catching the puck and setting it up in his wheelhouse in a blink. 

Lardis needs 10 goals in his last 10 games to reach the 73-goal mark, which would place him one goal above John Tavares for the highest single-season goal tally in the OHL since the turn of the century. With his recent run of form and looking at the teams he will face in this final stretch, don’t put it past him to accomplish that feat.

Artyom Levshunov, RD, Rockford IceHogs (Chicago Blackhawks) 

Season stats: 5G, 16A, 21PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 3A, 4PTS

A major source of concern among Hawks fans this season has been Artyom Levshunov struggling to adapt to the AHL. The recent second-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft has had difficulty with pro-level speed and aggression, throwing pucks to opponents more often than he did to his teammates on some nights.

This past week, however, despite some of the issues with his reads rearing their heads at times, Levshunov still showed some really promising flashes — our Lead Scout David St-Louis recently wrote a comprehensive and detailed article on the matter:

“The defenceman’s breakouts under pressure were inconsistent in college, but they’ve been a strength in his game some nights with Rockford. [...] In the AHL, Levshunov has shown an ability to pick up the puck on the wall, protect it, and use the net to separate from the opposition. He has managed to not only read the pressure of a first forechecker, but also evade a second one to pass to teammates in space.”

It’ll be a slow build-up with Levshunov — it was always going to be — but confident and poised performances like the ones he displayed this week will only further help him figure out what works and what doesn’t against pro competition.

Ilya Protas, LW/C, Windsor Spitfires (Washington Capitals) 

Season stats: 41G, 57A, 98PTS

Last Week Stats: 5G, 9A, 14PTS

An absurd tally of 14 points in four games earned Ilya Protas the title of OHL Player of the Week, and makes him a shoo-in for this week’s Roundup. The Washington Capitals’ 75th-overall selection this past summer has continued to find ways to elevate his game since transferring from the USHL, and is now one of the main contributors to Windsor being a top-three team in the OHL.

At 6-foot-5, Protas benefits from a major physical advantage, but rarely needs it — he does a wonderful job finding space off-puck, adjusting his hands through pass receptions and shot setups to leverage his release, and feathering passes through seams to connect with his teammates.

A rare big man with small-man skill, Protas still needs to learn to leverage that frame in more translatable ways. He currently averages under half a hit per game, according to InStat, and mostly uses his arms to win battles. If he can learn to use his edgework to win battles — which could come with the overall improvements needed in his skating — the Capitals will have a unique and talented forward on their hands.

Matyáš Melovský, C, Baie-Comeau Drakkar (New Jersey Devils) 

Season stats: 23G, 47A, 70PTS

Last Week Stats: 4G, 6A, 10PTS

A seven-point performance in Baie-Comeau’s 14-0 thrashing of the Saint John Sea Dogs on Thursday helped Matyáš Melovský earn the title of QMJHL Player of the Week, and the final spot in this week’s Roundup. The New Jersey Devils’ 171th-overall pick in 2024 scored all seven of those points at even strength, operating through high-end forechecking and transition plays throughout the game.

Melovský’s full skill set was on display in this game — his advanced puck-protection skill, quick and compact release, and impressive vision have helped him elevate himself to the status of Justin Poirier’s right-hand man — a role that, in previous seasons, was occupied by other centres while Melovský played middle-six minutes. The Devils took a flyer on a double-overager producing well next to solid QMJHL talent, and so far, Melovský’s development is showing that he has the individual skill and smarts to start a pro career in the very near future.