Welcome, Chicago Blackhawks fans. And anyone else who isn’t aware of the immense talent that is Connor Bedard. The Blackhawks have the first pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and would tear a hole in the space time continuum if they don’t select Bedard. So whether you’re visiting this page before or after the pick, it really shouldn’t be any question that Bedard is a Blackhawk. So let’s get into his background and scouting report a bit.
2023 NHL Draft: Connor Bedard Scouting Report
Who is Connor Bedard?
Bedard has some historic comparables when it comes to stats in juniors. He registered 271 points in 134 WHL games for the Regina Pats throughout his career. Yes, that’s over 2.0 points per game. That pace is top-10 all-time in WHL history. You’ll also notice Bedard scored a goal per game in his WHL career, which is the 4th-highest ever by a player who played at least 200 games. He’s Canada’s all-time leader in points (36) at the World Junior Championship. To put it simply, Bedard has accomplished pretty much everything you can accomplish up to this point in a young hockey player’s career.
Other than that, he’s just a kid from Vancouver. He has very much been on the radar of the NHL since he was young, which one can imagine comes with a lot of pressure. So far, Bedard has had no trouble handling that pressure. There isn’t really a reason to believe Bedard won’t be the next great talent in the NHL.
Highlights
To be honest, you can watch the first seven seconds of this highlight video and just stop. It’s all you need to see really. Bedard dances around a defender and roofs an insane back-hand shot top-shelf for a goal in the WJC. The only time Bedard isn’t going to be the best skater on the ice is when the Blackhawks face the Edmonton Oilers. Other than that, I think Bedard stacks up against guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes immediately.
Really, the one concern with these types of talents is can they adjust to a more physical game in the NHL. Bedard has the skating ability to get around pretty much any defender and puck skills to be fine on the forecheck. He also has elite vision and the accuracy on his shot is crazy to watch.
I’m interested to see if Bedard can lead right away. That’s a big question mark because he’ll basically be given the captaincy for the Blackhawks very early on. Probably not as a rookie but shortly after. Up to this point, I’d guess he’s been leading by example. He’s been the best hockey player on the ice every minute of every game he’s played in up to this point. How does he react when that isn’t necessarily the case?
NHL player comparison
This is basically down to is Bedard more McDavid or Crosby. I think it’s the latter Bedard resembles the most. And this is more of a testament to the greatness that is McDavid, who should go down as the best hockey player to ever live when his career is over. But really Crosby has a good case to be considered one of the greats as well. So that’s what we’re working with in Bedard’s case.
From watching Bedard a bit in juniors, you can tell he has more of an edge than McDavid. The Oilers captain is a bit more cool and collected, and will just go out there and skate circles around players. Bedard will do the same but also throw some hits and checks to let the other team know he’s there. We saw Crosby develop into a more gritty two-way player (possibly a tad dirty at times). Say what you want about Crosby, but that’s led to three Stanley Cup championships.
If we’re looking at older players, I’ve heard Bedard compared to guys like Steve Yzerman. Honestly, for Blackhawks fans, Bedard could be a lot like a combination of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Bedard has the same skill level and probably better skating ability than Kane. The rookie should also develop into a solid captain, similar to Toews. Maybe not a perennial Selke Trophy candidate. But a good defensive forward.
So as you can see, there’s a good chance the Blackhawks are getting a future Hall of Famer and someone who should bring the franchise more championships.
