With the 1st pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks have selected Connor Bedard from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL)
About Connor Bedard
A generational talent with tremendous offensive instincts, it should come as no surprise that Connor Bedard’s name was the first to be heard in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. His curl-and-drag wrist shot is already NHL-ready at the age of 17, and combined with deceptive stickhandling, excellent skating, and a high hockey IQ, Bedard will be one of the best players in the league the moment his skates touch the ice.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
At 16, Bedard tore up the WHL with 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games. He followed that up with an astounding 71 goals and 143 points in 57 games, becoming just one of two players to hit the 100-point plateau that season. Leading the WHL in all statistical categories, Bedard took home the Bobby Clarke Trophy for most points, the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy for WHL Player of the Year, and was named the CHL Player of the Year and CHL Top Draft Prospect.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“Connor Bedard is going to be a special player in the NHL sooner rather than later and any team that lands the first overall pick this year is going to be absolutely ecstatic. He has such an incredible wrist-shot that you could drop him in the NHL this year and he’d feast. Bedard’s wrist shot will be one of the absolute best shots in the NHL from the moment he arrives (at least top-five), with the power and deception to make professional goalies tremble in their creases.
“However, Bedard is more than a shot. Think of an offensive attribute and he has it in spades. Stickhandling? Check. Playmaking vision/execution? Check. Skating? Check. Everything you could want out of an offensive player he excels at, from transitioning the puck through the neutral zone to reverse hits while under pressure. Bedard will put up points in the NHL and that isn’t really up for debate at this point.
“After entering the WHL a year early, Bedard showed the world what he’s made of in his second year with the Regina Pats, scoring an absurd 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games. This year he has somehow taken his production to another level despite a decidedly mediocre roster surrounding him. Bedard has already surpassed his record of 100 points in just 40 games, and there is a very real chance he puts up a 70-70-140 season making him the first person to score 140 points in a single WHL season in nearly 25 years.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
“Bedard is scoring at a rate of more than a goal per game and he’s just automatic on the power play, picking defenses apart with passes, one-on-one skill and his shot. He has a stranglehold on the WHL scoring race already, with a roughly 20-point gap between him and the next highest scorer despite missing several WHL games while playing at the World Juniors. He is the best player in this draft without a doubt, and anyone who tells you otherwise is likely just a contrarian who is fishing for clicks.”
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Blackhawks’ Plans
You can expect to see Bedard on opening night for the 2023-24 season as he immediately becomes the Blackhawks’ best forward on their roster. Kicking off the next generation of Chicago success after the departures of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Bedard’s arrival should bring in the interest of plenty of free agents. The Blackhawks have ample cap space and plenty of time to be patient when building a team around Bedard. His presence won’t send the team to an immediate Stanley Cup contender status, but it certainly helps jumpstart it.
