18-year-old Connor Bedard is NHL’s next superstar

Dan Elson, Contributing Writer

Connor Bedard, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick is already the face of the Chicago Blackhawks at just 18 years old and has a chance to be the next superstar in the NHL.

What makes the Canadian native so special is the way he can deke and dangle past players. He’s also famous for his dangerous wrist shot and scoring goals at a consistent pace, which can produce jaw-dropping moments.

In his time in the Western Hockey League, Bedard finished with 271 career points in three years. He scored 134 goals and had 137 assists in just 134 games, according to the Canadian Hockey League. Bedard’s best season was the 2022-23 campaign when he finished off with 143 points in 57 games—71 goals and 72 assists. Bedard averaged 2.51 points a game that year, according to the Canadian Hockey League.

Sometimes players with big expectations like Bedard get off to slow starts early in their careers. 

Bedard has already proven he can keep up with the fast pace in the NHL. He’s tearing it up right now with 10 goals and seven assists in just 19 games into the season as of Nov. 28, according to ESPN. 

Among players who began their NHL careers at 18 years old or younger, Bedard is the third fastest player to hit the 10-goal mark, according to NBC Sports Chicago.  

It’s quite impressive to see quick success like this early on in his career. It just shows that he’s going to be a special player for a very long time.

Bedard grew up idolizing Pittsburgh Penguins legend Sidney Crosby. The Blackhawks played the Penguins in their first game of the season. Bedard, a center, took the opening faceoff against Crosby. It must have been a dream come true for him to take a faceoff against one of the all-time greats. 

Crosby once had the same expectations as Bedard has now — to be a superstar in the NHL. In 2005, the Penguins selected Crosby No. 1 overall, according to Hockey Reference.

“I think he’s a guy that’s more than ready at this point,” Crosby said in an interview. “He’s been dealing with the expectations for a while now. I think at this point, he’s just ready to finally start and get all of that over with. You can relate to things like that.” 

Bedard scored his first career goal on Oct. 11 on a wrap-around against the Boston Bruins in his second game. A graphic showed on the scoreboard how many more goals he needed to catch the great Wayne Gretzky, the all-time leader with 894 goals, according to ESPN.

To have a graphic like that appear on the scoreboard can be overwhelming, but it shows how bright his future is and what he’s capable of.

Bedard told reporters after the game that his first career goal was “a big relief.” 

You want to get one really bad quick and kind of get that out of the way. It was [a] really cool moment [and a] cool building to do it in [and] the family was [there],” Bedard said.

Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said in an interview on the night Bedard scored his first career goal that he is “dangerous” on the ice. 

“He shot the puck in the goal line with some guys driving the net and [created] a lot of confusion,” Richardson told reporters. “He just knows where to go. He was one of those guys that has instincts and he picked up that rebound and knew that he had time and room but he did it pretty quick. So he’s really fun to watch and see him enjoy that one.”

Bedard picked up his first career multi-point game on Nov. 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored two goals and had two assists.

“He’s starting to really figure it out and use his skills at the best of his ability and it paid off for him and us [that night],” Richardson told reporters. 

Even though it’s early in the season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he wins the Calder Memorial Trophy this year. The Calder Memorial Trophy is the equivalent to the Rookie of the Year award. 

Right now the Blackhawks are 6-13 on the season as of Nov. 28. It would be great for Bedard to get a taste of playoff hockey in year one in the NHL.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were elite players for the Chicago Blackhawks. They delivered three Stanley Cups for the Blackhawks. There’s no reason why Bedard can’t deliver a Stanley Cup or two.