Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Wins 2024 Calder Memorial Trophy

Connor Bedard has won the 2024 Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League. Previous winners of the award include Matty Beniers, Cale Makar, Elias Pettersson, and Auston Matthews.

Bedard was viewed as a generational talent and did not disappoint. On a weak Blackhawks team, he finished the season with 22 goals and 61 points in just 68 games. He led the team in both categories and is bound to continue his success next season with an improved roster.

Chicago possesses the second overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and is expected to select Artyom Levshunov or Ivan Demidov. In addition to those two, the team has a plethora of young talent such as Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, Landon Slaggert, Paul Ludwinski, and more. The 2023-24 season may not have brought much team success, but the future is bright for Bedard’s Blackhawks.

The other finalists for the award were defenseman Brock Faber and Luke Hughes. Faber, a right-handed defenseman for the Minnesota Wild, scored eight goals and 47 points while providing stellar defense. Hughes, a left-handed defenseman for the New Jersey Devils, scored nine goals and 47 points while leading the team’s powerplay unit. It was one of the best rookie classes the league has seen in a while, so finishing as a finalist is very impressive.