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Is NHL rookie Connor Bedard the next Great One?
One of the most-anticipated sports moments of the year took place in June when the Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard No. 1 overall in the NHL Draft.
It became official the moment Bedard — widely considered hockey’s next superstar — put the jersey on over his shirt and tie.
“It’s incredible,” he told reporters afterwards. “I can’t put it into words.”
Bedard, who turned 18 on July 17, has had time to process everything that took place in Nashville. Following a summer that included playing roller hockey and spending time with his family, Bedard has been hard at work refining his powerful wrist shot ahead of his pro debut.
Bedard is one of the most highly regarded prospects to enter the league since Connor McDavid signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015. A former WHL Rookie of the Year and CHL Player of the Year, Bedard cemented his reputation as The Next One by posting incredible numbers the past three years. During the 2022-23 season, he led the WHL in goals (71), points (143), goals per game (1.24) and points per game (2.51). That’s despite having played just 57 regular-season games for the Regina Pats.
Bedard has also excelled at the international level. He helped Canada win the IIHF World U18 Championship in 2021 and followed that up by capturing back-to-back World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023. It’s those kind of performances that have led many to call Bedard a once-in-a-generation talent. It’s also why so many hockey collectors are hoping to pull his rookie cards, while others hope to snag his autograph on a jersey or puck.
SCD caught up with Bedard in September at the annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase, co-sponsored by Upper Deck and held in Arlington, Va., where he skated in his Blackhawks uniform for the very first time. Bedard also took time out to talk about where he got his powerful shot, dealing with autograph seekers and his expectations for the coming season.
POWERFUL SHOT
Bedard was born in 2005 and grew up in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He spent many afternoons shooting pucks on the street in front of his house and eventually backyard after he broke a few neighbors’ windows. Bedard took his stick everywhere so he could practice, even once on a family vacation to Maui.
Bedard got his start with West Vancouver Academy Prep of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. While playing with this school’s U15 and U18 teams, Bedard used that incredible slapshot to lead the league in goals and points.
“It comes from just practicing,” he said of his quick-release wrist shot. “You just learn different ways to shoot. It’s from just being in my backyard and shooting pucks and obviously trying to bring that into games. Just be confident and try to shoot the puck.”
Bedard’s signature shot features him pulling the puck towards his feet, then employing momentum and pressure to uncork a heavy release. It’s an extremely hard shot to stop — not only due to the velocity that he generates — because it allows him to change angles on goalies in an instant.
Sebastian Cossa, a goaltender in the Detroit Red Wings system who faced Bedard in the minors, called Bedard “a special player.”
“He’s definitely got a good shot,” Cossa said. “His pull-and-push is obviously pretty special. It’s not really knowing what to expect. You just got to really be on angle and take away the net from him.”
Bedard is small at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but he makes up for it with his low center of gravity, powerful shot and bursts of speed. He is likely to get plenty of ice time with the Blackhawks this season. Should he score 30 goals in his rookie campaign, he could be a lock for the Calder Trophy and gain a place alongside McDavid as one of the hobby’s most collected players.
While Bedard could become a one-man NHL highlight reel, he’s also playing on a Blackhawks team that could struggle to make the playoffs after losing superstars like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Can Bedard handle all the pressure that comes with playing in the NHL and for an Original Six franchise?
“No offense, but what [reporters] say doesn’t affect my day-to-day life,” Bedard said. “I’m worried about my expectations of myself and teammates and trying to be the best version of myself every day. I love the game of hockey. That outside noise is there — but I am just trying to be the best version of myself.”
The best version of himself would be what we’ve seen the last few years in the minors. Overall, he finished his junior career with 134 goals and 271 points in 134 games. At the same time, Bedard, who grew up a fan of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, called being on the Blackhawks “awesome” and “a dream come true.”
“I want to be a good player,” he said. “I want to make a difference. I want to help the team win.”
On Sept. 16, in his first competitive game in five months, Bedard netted a hat trick and added an assist in Chicago’s 5-0 win against the St. Louis Blues at the Tom Kurvers Prospects Showcase.
Despite the numbers he’s put up, Bedard said he’s got a lot to learn and is always working on “trying to get faster and stronger.”
“There is always an emphasis on that when you are playing against the best players in the world,” he said of the coming season.
CONNOR COLLECTIIBLES
What Bedard does on the ice isn’t the whole story. He’s also expected to be a spokesman for the league and the type of player that could get more people to watch hockey. Bedard collectables are also hot. His minor-league cards were all the rage at this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention held in Chicago. At the same show, Upper Deck’s corporate booth featured a large billboard of Bedard in a preview of the excitement they hope the teen sensation will generate over the coming season.
“Bedard mania has been awesome and excited people have already started signing up on my waiting list to get product to get his rookie card,” said Ronnie Holloway, owner of Elite Sports Cards and Comics in Chicago.
Bedard’s Young Guns card will be available in Upper Deck Hockey Series 2 boxes, due out early next year, and in other releases throughout this season. His rookie redemption cards — included in 2022-23 MVP boxes released this summer — are selling on the secondary market for thousands of dollars.
Paul Zickler, Upper Deck’s senior sports brand manager, said Bedard is part of an exceptional class of rookies entering the league this season.
“Obviously, a player of his stature is unique just given his accolades with [Canada’s] junior program and what he was able to accomplish this past year,” he said.
Bedard, meanwhile, admitted he collected cards as a child, saying he spent time with his friends ripping packs.
“I haven’t thought about it too much,” Bedard said about appearing on cards. “If I were to open a pack and see myself on a card would be a little crazy. Growing up, I was a big card guy.”
As part of his newfound fame among collectors, Bedard is often surrounded by bodyguards as fans try to snag his autograph after practice and at other team events. Bedard said people looking for his signature is “something you get used to a little bit.”
“It’s not really a big thing at all,” he added.
Fellow Blackhawks prospect Kevin Korchinski, a puck-moving offensive defenseman, said he admires the relaxed approach Bedard has shown the past few months despite the hobby buzz.
“That's the extra stuff that comes with being a player of his caliber,” he said. “The spotlight on him is really big. For him to be able to block it out is pretty special and a testament to his character.”
Holloway predicts Bedard “will do amazing” this season.
“He’s a very young, talented skater and has a long career ahead of him,” he said. “Chicago is very excited, along with the NHL, since there are several good key players in this [rookie] class that will do well.”
For now, however, Bedard said he’s thrilled to be playing for the Blackhawks and to finally face his boyhood idols.
“Just to be with this city and organization is a dream come true,” he said. “Just growing up and watching [the Blackhawks] and seeing their [Stanley Cup] runs was cool. Putting on their jersey is cool.”
Clemente Lisi
