After signing for a record-breaking extension with Connor Bedard‘s Chicago Blackhawks, big things could be ahead for Frank Nazar. According to a report around the NHL, the young American skater could shock many on Team USA, including Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk.
While the 2025-26 NHL season emerges on the horizon, the 2026 Olympics are impossible to overlook. On that note, Bedard will be attending Canada’s Orientation Camp, hoping to make the roster for the world’s most prestigious competition in February.
Meanwhile, Nazar wants to keep up with his teammate’s pace. After signing the biggest contract in NHL history for a player with fewer than 60 appearances (seven-year, $46.2M), Nazar is eyeing more accolades. Now, his sights are set on making Team USA’s roster for the Olympics, which is headlined by Matthews and Tkachuk.
On that note, a report hints the 21-year-old might shock many during Team USA’s Olympic Orientation Camp. Though there isn’t a visible spot for Nazar on the lineup, the youngster can’t be ruled out.
“It’s a big ask for Nazar to make the Olympic team next year, but I had guys saying to me, ‘don’t write him off’. He might not make it, but he will get runway,” insider Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “He impressed enough people at the World Championships, they’re bringing him to camp for a reason.”
Making them proud
Nazar will most surely face an uphill battle to crack the roster featuring names like Matthews and Tkachuk. Still, he’s earned his place in camp, and he controls his own destiny now. Plus, who knows how the 2025-26 NHL season will go? Perhaps a spot opens up later in the year.
If his name is called up, he won’t be found flat-footed. Nazar is very familiar with Team USA, as his entire career has been intertwined with the program. Like Matthews and Tkachuk, Nazar is a product of the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP). It would only be fitting for him to make the Olympics’ roster alongside them.
Plus, the Blackhawks‘ forward has played for the USA during the 2025 IIHF World Championships, where he tallied 12 points (6G, 6A), helping the team win the gold medal.
Learning from the best
In addition to Nazar’s milestones at such a young age, the Michigan native has been guided by one of the best Americans in NHL history and former Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.
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“It’s pretty amazing, I’ve seen guys like Patrick Kane out there,” Nazar said about his preseason workouts, via @haddychi on X. “Just how fluent and how strong they are in each position of the ice and each play with the puck. Being able to learn from him and add some tools like that is something huge.”