Michigan hockey’s future is bright.
Frank Nazar III and Rutger McGroarty, who both committed to play at U-M beginning next season, were selected with the No. 12 and No. 13 picks in the 2022 NHL draft, by the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets, respectively, on Thursday night.
This comes a year after U-M had three of the top five overall picks in last year’s draft in No. 1 Owen Power, No. 2 Matthew Beniers and No. 5 Kent Johnson.
A Mount Clemens native, Nazar told the Free Press last month his interest in hockey began around age 6 after watching a Detroit Red Wings game on TV. The now 18-year-old stands at 5-foot-10, 181 pounds, shoots right and can play center or right wing. He had 43 goals and 62 assists in 80 games last season in between the USHL and US National Team Development Program, based in Plymouth.
The Athletic ranked Nazar as the No. 11 best prospect in this year’s draft. Nazar was Chicago’s second pick in the top 15 after taking Kevin Korchinski at No. 7. The Red Wings ultimately selected Austrian forward Marco Kasper at No. 8.
While in the USNTDP, Nazar finished third overall in U18s with 62 points (25 goals, 37 assists) in 49 games in 2021-22. His efforts landed him an appearance in the 2022 BioSteel All-American game, which annually features the top American-born prospects eligible for the NHL draft.
McGroarty (6-1, 204 pounds) shoots left and can play center or wing. The Lincoln, Nebraska, native was ranked as the No. 18 best prospect after recording 50 goals and 52 assists in 79 games across U-18 and USHL play last season. He also appeared in the BioSteel All-American game, where he won MVP.
With USNTDP, McGroarty netted the second-most goals on the team with 27 and had 33 assists in 46 games.
Both Nazar and McGroarty helped the US capture silver in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
The Blackhawks finished seventh in the Central Division last season with a 28-42 record. They open the season Oct. 12 against the defending Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche. The Jets finished sixth in the same division with a 39-32 record and open the season Oct.14 against the New York Rangers.
Chandler Engelbrecht is a reporting intern at The Detroit Free Press and can be reached at CEngelbrecht@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @ctengelbrecht.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan commits Frank Nazar III, Rutger McGroarty picked in NHL draft
