Physical Rehab Explained by 19-Year-Old Sudden Superstar of Ice Hockey

The Chicago Blackhawks have struggled so far in the NHL. The team, including 19-year-old prodigy Frank Nazar, is going through a hard patch. Nazar has represented the United States on the ice hockey team and is widely regarded as a top player. Picked by the Blackhawks last season, Nazar has yet to play for the club, and is now talking about his physical rehab.

This Blackhawks prospect was recently featured in an interview with The Athletic. After playing his debut game for the Wolverines at the Little Caesars Arena, Frank Nazar shared his rehabilitation tale. The prodigy has returned after a lengthy hiatus in high spirits, after scoring his first goal for the squad.

Coming back stronger

The University of Michigan was looking forward to Frank Nazar’s season since he was one of their highly anticipated incoming freshmen. The Blackhawks were similarly enamored, selecting him thirteenth overall in the 2022 draft. An early-season lower-body injury that ultimately required surgery disrupted Nazar’s season and enthusiasm. As a result, he had to endure the longest, most difficult physical rehabilitation journey of his hockey career. But now he’s back in play, having scored the first game’s first goal and talking about his experience in rehabilitation.

In the interview with The Athletic, Frank Nazar first thanked his trainers who took care of him, saying, “Yeah, obviously, the process was a pretty long time. I missed basically the first three-quarters of the season, and I just put in a lot of work with our trainers, Joe (Maher) and Brew (Brian Brewster). And those guys, I owe a lot of thanks to them. They put a lot of time and effort in with me and my training. And I put a lot of sweat and tears into the gym and into the training room.”

“And just day by day, I went in thinking of the mentality, like, honestly, at first, I was thinking I’d come back for the outdoor game next weekend, but each day, I just went in trying to get better and do whatever I can to come back. I was able to come back a week early in my books. And playing these two games, honestly, it was just awesome to be in those games and win and just see all the hard work pay off,” Nazar added. 

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The history of the ice hockey prodigy

Nazar describes how he got off to a slow start but was astonished by his own growth throughout the weeks. Nazar’s goal in his first game was the icing on the cake, that gave him high hopes for the rest of the season. A former forward for the USNTDP, he was born in Michigan and selected early in the 2022 Entry Draft. He made news last summer when he was picked by the Chicago Blackhawks. Nazar grew up in the Detroit area, where he played hockey for the young Honeybaked program.

Nazar had a stellar season in the 2019-20 season of minor hockey. Astonishingly, he scored 49 goals and added 78 assists for a total of 127 points in 55 games. Due to his extraordinary statistics, he gained widespread media attention and was subsequently picked by a renowned NHL club; Chicago Blackhawks. Injuries to his lower back temporarily derailed this prodigy’s progress, but now he’s back and more determined than ever to break the ice.

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What do you think of the rehab process that this young ice hockey star went through? Let us know in the comment section.