Connor Bedard didn’t come into the league like any other first-overall draft pick. The former Regina Pats forward was one of the most talked about prospects in NHL history. He was considered one of the best players to be drafted since Connor McDavid in 2015. When the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him first overall last year, his first NHL season would be one of two tales. Either live up to the expectations or be scrutinized and called a bust already. However, Bedard chose a third choice. Exceed expectations.
Undisputed Calder Champion
It was no surprise to anyone in the Fontainebleau Resort in Las Vegas when Bedard was finally named the winner of the Calder Trophy, an award given to the season’s best rookie. With 61 points in 68 games on a struggling Blackhawks team, there was no debate that the young forward deserved the trophy.
Bedard knows the actual achievement is an individual award, but he acknowledged that it’s a team award as well. Celebrating with the people who got him there is the main draw for the rookie.
“It’s a cool honor for sure,” Bedard said. “There’s a lot of people that go into it. I see it as an individual award, but it’s cool to celebrate it with your teammates and family with the help they’ve put towards it. It’s a cool moment for sure.”
On a struggling team, it’s important to remain close to your teammates to keep going throughout the season. One of those teammates was Philipp Kurashev, Bedard’s linemate for most of the season.
“I was lucky to play with him,” Bedard said. “I played with him for most of the year. It’s nice when you build that chemistry and have a guy that you feel really comfortable playing with.”
Related: Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Wins 2024 Calder Memorial Trophy
However, Bedard quickly added that the whole team helped him get to where he is today. He also mentioned that this season wasn’t about his individual achievements. It’s about growing the chemistry that will hopefully help the Blackhawks return to winning.
“Throughout the lineup, you could look at guys who have made big contributions to our team and helped me, so you don’t play for the individual awards,” Bedard said. “It’s obviously nice to get them, but we’re focused on the growth of our team.”
The Blackhawks know that grabbing Bedard at first overall and letting him explode into the league last season is the turning point in their rebuild. Now, they’re focused on building it all up again. They signed key free agents to surround Bedard and let him continue to get even better next season. Adding guys like Tuevo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi, who are top forwards in the league, will only let the 18-year-old get better.
I’m Just Playing Hockey
Even before the Blackhawks drafted Bedard, all of the pressure in the world was placed on him to save whatever franchise he would be drafted by. While he was tearing up the World Juniors with Team Canada, people compared him to players like Sidney Crosby and McDavid. Many projected him to be the undisputed Calder champion before he even touched the ice with a Blackhawks jersey. For a 17-year-old, the expectations were sky-high to try to help turn around one of the most iconic franchises.
Despite the hockey community and the whole world putting him in the spotlight, Bedard was just focusing on hockey. He wasn’t paying attention to the massive hype he was receiving. He was just trying to have fun, which is what he managed to do throughout the whole season.
“I’m just playing hockey,” Bedard said. “There’s a lot of stuff that is out of your control, and that’s not important to me. For me, it was fun to play hockey and be with my teammates, with my brothers every day chasing the ball and that’s all I really focus on. The other stuff is what comes with it once you get to a certain level.”
Bedard’s mindset obviously tuned out all the outside noise. He was by far the best rookie of the year and earned praise from NHL players like McDavid, Crosby, and others around the league. Now, the expectations are set to rise as the public looks to see improvement not just from Bedard but also from the Blackhawks, who finished second to last in the league. However, if he plays anything like he did this season, he should be just fine.
Looking back almost a year ago, it’s hard to believe the pedestal a 17-year-old Bedard was placed on. Most 17-year-olds have just graduated high school and are stressing out about choosing the college they want to go to, not about to be the main piece of a new core for one of the most popular teams in the NHL. Not to mention that this young Blackhawks group is following up one of the best teams in recent NHL history that featured Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
However, flash forward to the present day, and an 18-year-old Bedard was sitting in front of the media in Las Vegas with the Calder trophy, still unfazed by the amount of attention he’s gotten. That moment signified that he didn’t just fulfill the expectations placed on him in the past year. He’s exceeded them.
