Monday night will be a game like no other, when two of the league’s most highly anticipated rookies, Connor Bedard and Logan Cooley, face off against one another for the first time in their NHL careers. In preparation of Monday’s game (Oct. 30), I collaborated with my colleague, Gail Kauchak, who covers the Chicago Blackhawks for The Hockey Writers, to discuss the first of many meetings between the two Calder Trophy favorites.
Player Background
Both Bedard and Cooley come from two separate backgrounds. Bedard grew up in British Columbia, while Cooley grew up in Pittsburgh. Both took different routes that led them to the NHL. Bedard dominated the Western Hockey League (WHL), scoring a ridiculous 134 goals and adding 137 assists for 271 points in 134 games over the course of three seasons. Cooley, on the other hand, spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team, racking up 64 points in 51 games before committing to the University of Minnesota, where he’d put up 60 points in 39 games as a freshman, finishing second for the Hobey Baker Award, as well as runners-up in the national championship.
(Q) Can you talk a little about Bedard’s (Gail) and Cooley’s (Haynes) development and what has made them into such a dominant player from such an early age? What do they excel best at?
Gail: One of the things that really stands out to me about Bedard is that he comes from an incredibly supportive family. His sister Madisen, who is three years older than him, was a competitive gymnast growing up. She had a lot of influence on Connor regarding what it takes to be a dedicated athlete. She was also the one who took Connor ice skating for the first time when he was just four or five years old. Apparently, he didn’t like it at all…until they gave him a puck and a stick. The rest is history.
Once he got into hockey, Bedard pretty much dedicated his life to it, with the full support of his family. Bedard was only 14 years old when he was given an exception to play three years up on the under-18 team. He was also granted exceptional status to play in the WHL Regina Pats as a 15-year-old. His coaches will tell you that, even more so than his peers, he practiced, practiced, practiced. Obviously, Bedard has a natural talent, but I believe it’s his commitment that makes him such a special player.
Bedard is best known for his deceptive release and lethal shot, along with his creativity, speed, and high hockey IQ. I will admit that he’s struggled a little bit with all of this in his first handful of games, and there will be some adjustments he’ll need to make. The NHL is a much faster and heavier game where it’s harder to create by yourself. But for all the reasons I stated above, I have no doubt Bedard will adjust accordingly. When he does, look out!
Related: Coyotes’ Logan Cooley Is Team’s Next Star
Haynes: Cooley’s life has been about hockey since the day he was born. The youngest of three, he took to the sport thanks in part to his two uncles and his two older siblings, all of whom played Division I college hockey. He grew up idolizing Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin instead of his hometown Pittsburgh Penguins. However, it was Sidney Crosby who had the biggest impact on the future third-overall selection’s career. Along with a group of kids, he got his start in the game because of the captain, gifted free hockey gear by No. 87’s Little Penguins program.
His path from there to the NHL started in 2018 when he put up 83 points in 69 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 14U team. After two years of travel hockey, Cooley found himself a local sensation before becoming an eventual national and international sensation, thanks in part to him dominating the next two years at the development level. During this time, he’d go on to represent Team USA at four different world juniors tournaments before committing to the University of Minnesota last fall.
Despite being only 5-foot-10, he is especially known for his speed and high level of skill. He has an excellent understanding of the game for such a young age, and his hockey IQ can be seen on the ice. His playmaking prowess is best exemplified by his ability to find open teammates or cut around defenses with seamless ease.
Head to Head
As we know, Bedard was this past year’s number-one overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Highly regarded as the next Connor McDavid, the Blackhawks have themselves their next superstar after the departures of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane this past season. The Coyotes, on the other hand, have themselves what many consider the steal of the 2022 NHL Draft in third overall pick Logan Cooley.
(Q) What are your thoughts on Cooley (Gail) and Bedard (Haynes), and what have you taken away from their few games so far this season?
Gail: Based on what I’ve seen from Bedard and some of his initial struggles acclimating to the NHL, I’m impressed that Cooley has already racked up five assists, three of them being primary. That’s hard to do right off the bat. He appears to be acclimating very well. He’s centering the second line and playing on the top power-play unit, averaging 17:39 minutes of ice time. He’s obviously taking on lots of responsibility. It’s clear he’s a very skilled player with a high hockey IQ who’s definitely ready for the NHL. I’m excited to follow his progress this season and see what kind of impact he will have with this young Coyote’s team.
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Haynes: If you ask anybody in the hockey community what they think of Bedard, the first things you’ll be told are that he has a hard shot and a very quick release. That’s not hard to see, seeing as he scored 134 goals in 134 games during his time in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Like Cooley, Bedard is a rather small guy. However, size has never been an issue for him. He plays the game like he’s 6-foot-2 and commands the puck like a born leader. He’s averaging 20:00 minutes of ice time this season, and despite the Blackhawks being in the middle of a rebuild, he gives them a shot to win every night.
Calder Trophy/Season Projections
Of course, this article isn’t complete unless we discuss the hypotheticals and make a prediction on who wins the Calder Trophy if it indeed comes down between the two. With other intriguing names to watch, such as Leo Carlsson, Brock Faber, Devon Levi, Adam Fantilli, Ridly Greig, Luke Hughes, David Jiříček, Kevin Korchinski, etc., this year’s Calder race is deeper than ever. For the sake of this article, though, we’ll discuss the two mentioned.
(Q) First off, how many points do you project each player ends the season with? And who would win the Calder Trophy between the two and why?
Gail: It’s always so tough to project points for players, especially rookies. There are just so many variables. But I’ve already gone on record predicting Bedard has the capacity to be a point-per-game producer. I’m saying 80 points isn’t out of the question.
As for Cooley, I’m not sure he can live up to those expectations. As I mentioned above, Cooley appears to be getting thrown right in. But Bedard is, without a doubt, the centerpiece for the Blackhawks. He’s centering the top line, playing on the top power-play unit, and averaging 20 minutes of ice time. Personally, I think that’s even a little low for what his usage will be moving forward. Head coach Luke Richardson wants Bedard to grow and learn quickly; he won’t hesitate to play him a lot this season.
Another argument is that Bedard doesn’t have much of a supporting cast. Yet, he’s already developed great chemistry with Taylor Hall and is working to gel with Philipp Kurashev now that Hall is sidelined with a shoulder injury. Plus, there’s always Lukas Reichel. Richardson has Bedard and Reichel on separate lines right now, so they can both experience playing center. However, there will be situations where the two will be on the ice together, and I believe they will make some noise.
But I digress from the original question. I think Cooley could get upwards of 60 points, which would be extremely commendable. However, I just don’t see him beating out Bedard. Bedard gets the Calder!
Haynes: Obviously, I’m on the opposite side here. I think, based on roster talent right now, Bedard has a chance to score more goals. Mainly in part because he’s the main offensive piece for a Chicago team that doesn’t have many weapons just yet. I think it’s not out of the question to see him produce a lot and finish the year inside the 65-75-point plateau.
Cooley, on the other hand, will be competing with guys such as Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz for goals. The Coyotes also hold the slight edge here in roster depth and talent, as of right now. This has made it easier for Cooley to transition into the NHL and find his groove rather than be expected to score a ton of goals. I think, based on his playmaking ability that we’ve seen so far, that it’s possible he falls into the same 65-75-point range. Ultimately I think teams will alter their game plan around Bedard, making it tougher for him to score, and thus Cooley will edge him out just barely to win the Calder.
Final Thoughts
Truthfully no one knows what will happen come season’s end. There’s no denying that both the Coyotes and Blackhawks have two generational superstars who will be dominating the Central Division for years to come. I want to thank Gail Kauchak one last time for collaborating with me on this article. Round one of Cooley vs. Bedard begins on Oct. 30.
