Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard is finishing up his sophmore NHL season. And in this cover story from THN's Sept. 18, 2023 edition, editor-in-chief Ryan Kennedy covered Bedard's development in the Windy City:,
CHICAGO HOPE
By Ryan Kennedy
Connor Bedqrd is one of the most talented offensive prospects we’ve seen since Connor McDavid came on the radar one generation prior, but in the lead-up to the 2023 NHL draft in Nashville, Bedard was also playing some stifling defense. Everybody knew the Chicago Blackhawks were going to select the Regina Pats superstar first overall, and everyone had known it since the Hawks won the lottery back on May 8. This was not a Taylor Hall/Tyler Seguin or Nico Hischier/Nolan Patrick situation. This was a stone-cold lock. But Bedard was having none of it. Even the day before the draft, when Bedard held court with the media, he made it clear he would not be assuming himself as the No. 1 pick until it happened. So questions about whether he likes his Italian beef sandwiches dipped, Cubs versus White Sox, or whether or not it’s blasphemous to put ketchup on a hot dog would have to wait.
And while the Hawks themselves remained cagey in the lead-up, the jig was up as soon as they handed Bedard his first Chicago jersey on stage, emblazoned with his usual No. 98 on the arms and back instead of the No. 23 that other top picks such as Anaheim’s Leo Carlsson and Columbus’ Adam Fantilli were given that night. But Bedard had to at least have googled a couple of things about the Windy City in preparation, right?
“No, I didn’t want to jinx myself or anything,” said Bedard about 15 minutes after officially becoming a member of the Hawks organization. “So I kind of played it cool, I guess, just doing normal day-to-day stuff. Obviously, now I think that you can start looking into stuff and all that, but a lot of people have talked to me about it, and seeing the reaction from fans after everything is unbelievable.”
At the least, Bedard officially becoming a member of the Original Six franchise meant he could finally fully embrace the rabid fan base. “Yeah, it’s great, I don’t have to say no to signing anything ‘Chicago’ now,” he said. “To see the passion and just how that city gets behind all their teams, they have a lot of sports teams, and, of course, the Blackhawks are a big one. Just seeing the support so far, yeah, it’s hard to kind of describe or put into words, but it’s a great feeling.”
Indeed, the hundreds of Hawks fans who made the pilgrimage to Nashville were not disappointed when Chicago announced its first selection, and they had reason to celebrate: as the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews era closed in Chicago, the Bedard era has officially begun.
The players who turned the Hawks into a modern-day dynasty from 2010 to 2015 are now all gone from the roster. Kane was traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline; Toews wasn’t re-signed this summer, and whether health issues will force him into retirement is very much in question. As it is, Toews has announced he will not be playing in 2023-24. Marian Hossa just had his ‘Goodbye Game’ for charity in Slovakia, while Duncan Keith retired in 2022 after finishing his career in Edmonton. Brent Seabrook technically belongs to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but in reality, the big rearguard’s career is over, not having played a game since December 2019 due to injury.
Under new GM Kyle Davidson, the Hawks headed into a full-scale rebuild, and with some lottery luck, they got their new cornerstone in Bedard. Outside expectations could not be higher for the teenager, but the fact Bedard is more than just a silky set of hands is what sets him apart from your run-of-the-mill junior star. “You realize how humble and how hungry he is,” Davidson said. “To listen to him and how hard he wants to work, and he’s already working so hard. He’s so excited to get in the weight room and get back on the ice and more, more, more. It gets you fired up. When someone wants to be great and wants to work, it’s pretty exciting.”
Though his hockey career is still in its infancy, Bedard has already proven how driven he is. One only needs to look back to the 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax, when Canada was in tough against a determined Slovakia squad in the quarterfinal. With the score tied 3-3 late, Bedard had a golden opportunity for a goal thwarted by the stick of a Slovakian defenseman, and his anger was visible when he got back to the bench as he slammed his stick hard against the ice. But Bedard channelled that competitive rage in the best possible way, dancing through all three Slovakian skaters in overtime before putting the winner past goaltender – and future fellow Chicago pick – Adam Gajan. Even up in the press box, it was obvious that Bedard was dead-set on ending that game, and, sure enough, he did.
By all accounts, that commitment to excellence extends off the ice as well. “Good player, better person,” said Chicago’s director of amateur scouting Mike Doneghey. “He’s going to be able to drive our team once he’s acclimated and gets a little older. He’s a player you build around, not only on the ice but with the way he carries himself and the way his teammates respect him. He brings a lot of guys into the action and will make everyone around him better.”
Which is exactly the type of player Chicago needs right now. Last year’s Hawks were downright terrible by pretty much every metric: dead-last in offense, bottom five in defense and on the power play, 22nd on the penalty kill. Their leading scorer was Max Domi, with 49 points – and that was in the 60 games before he was traded to Dallas. Their second-leading scorer was Kane, before he was dealt to the Rangers. So the highest-scoring Hawks player who actually finished the season with the team was Andreas Athanasiou, who tallied 20 goals and 40 points. Nearly 200 NHLers had more points than Athanasiou.
Bedard, who has already signed an exclusive partnership with Sherwood, will undoubtedly help with Chicago’s scoring punch, but it would be folly to imagine him doing it all by himself. Which is why Davidson’s summer work was so intriguing. Among his pick-ups were much-travelled forwards Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno and Corey Perry.
In Foligno and Perry, the Hawks get two pros who have seen it all. And in Perry specifically, they get a Stanley Cup champion (with Anaheim in 2007) who has also been to the Stanley Cup final three times in the past four seasons. Both Foligno and Perry are physical players who would be obvious deterrents for any opponent who would deign to rough up Bedard on the ice. It also wouldn’t be surprising if one of them becomes Bedard’s landlord/billet dad/carpool buddy for Season 1, as Bedard will have enough on his hands as a vaunted phenom entering his rookie campaign.
In Hall, the Hawks get someone with a unique perspective and NHL history. Hall was drafted first overall himself, to the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, where a vacuum of leadership held the team back from any kind of success during his tenure there. But, in 2018, Hall won the Hart Trophy as a member of the New Jersey Devils. His linemate? Rookie and straight-from-the-draft-podium No. 1 pick Nico Hischier, who Hall credited with helping him nab those MVP honors. So, Bedard has some guys to back him up.
“It’s really special,” Bedard said. “Those guys have been through everything in the NHL. For me to get to learn from them, and obviously they’re unbelievable players, just having those guys to ask questions to, it’s awesome.”
As for the veterans, they’ve liked what they’ve seen of Bedard already. “You can tell just from watching him talk to the media, he’s pretty well-mannered,” Hall said. “He knows what to expect. He has high expectations for himself, and for guys like ‘Fliggy’ (Foligno) and I, it’s about letting him play and bringing the best out of him. Try to eliminate distractions, give him advice and mentor him as best as possible. It’s exciting.”
Even with Bedard and the influx of old pros up front, the Hawks will surely struggle again this season, but again: at least the moves Davidson has been making line up. A rebuild takes a long time, and even going back to the last Chicago demolition, it really began three years before the Hawks landed Toews and Kane in consecutive drafts (Toews going third overall in 2006, Kane first overall one year later).
Right now, Chicago has 2020 first-rounder Lukas Reichel, who looks ready to become a full-time contributor, plus a bunch of intriguing blueliners in the pipeline, led by Kevin Korchinski, Ethan Del Mastro and Sam Rinzel. There’s a lot of work to do, but at least there’s a base now. “There’s an excitement to joining a team at the ground level,” Hall said. “Being there every step of the way at the very beginning, there’s something to that that’s exciting for us.”
It’s also exciting to do so in Chicago, a town that loves its Hawks. Even with the team cratering in the standings, Chicago drew more than 17,000 fans per game, and it’s hard not to see a Bedard bump coming to the United Center. For a kid who knows the recent history of the team and how Toews and Kane brought glory to a previously lovelorn franchise, getting to represent that franchise means something. “Yeah, it’s incredible,” Bedard said. “I can’t put it into words. Growing up, obviously that was when they were going on their runs and winning the Cups. You see a lot of them, with the United Center going crazy and all of Chicago getting behind them, the Original Six and so much history here. I’m so happy to be part of the Blackhawks organization.”
So now the moment approaches. Bedard in the NHL, something we’ve been thinking about for years already. How will he stack up against all the great players who came before him? Luckily, the NHL schedule-makers know a good storyline when they see one, and Chicago opens the season in Pittsburgh, home of Sidney Crosby.
“I was trying not to look at the schedule,” Bedard said. “Some people were telling me, I didn’t want to look too hard into it. But man, like I said, if I’m able to make the squad come October, (Crosby was my) childhood idol, ever since I can remember. That would be unbelievable. It’s a little bit of time away. I think I’ll kind of dream about it now, but hopefully that comes.”
Hopefully? Geez, kid, help us out a bit here. But there’s that humility once again, and it’s hard to knock when it’s obviously helped keep Bedard on the right path so far. But clearly the NHL assumes Bedard will be an instant sensation out of camp, because Chicago also plays Auston Matthews and Toronto plus Nathan MacKinnon and Colorado in Games 4 and 5 on the schedule. Also in October? Two games against the defending Cup champions from Vegas.
Soon, the “ifs” and “hopefullys” will be gone and we’ll be watching Bedard on the ice, driving defenses crazy and using that wicked shot of his that has been NHL-caliber since he was 14. In the meantime, we’ll accept Bedard is a young man who takes nothing for granted, even if expectations for him are sky-high.
As for his own rookie expectations? “It’s hard to say,” he said. “I’ve never played a game there or anything. For me, it’s having a good rest of the summer and trying to prepare myself as best I can to try to make the team. It’s really hard to say what I have to do to play well there because it’s different and I’ve never experienced that. Obviously, as the best league in the world, it won’t be easy, but I’m going to do whatever I can this summer and moving forward to try to have an impact in the league.”
We’re sure Bedard is going to make the Blackhawks, but his attitude isn’t weird; McDavid was the same at that age, as was Wayne Gretzky. And it all worked out pretty well for those guys.
