Connor Bedard was one of the first players on the ice Monday and one of the last to leave when practice ended.
In many ways, Bedard is still the same as he starts his second season with the Chicago Blackhawks. However, there are some subtle changes in him as a person and a player compared to a year ago.
“I think he’s become — I mean even more so than last year — just a little more comfortable in his skin,” said Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno. “I think he understands the league, and you can see he’s growing as a person and as a player. … I’ve seen a more driven player. I think he wants to better himself for this season and build on last year.”
Once again, Bedard is Chicago’s key player as the team prepares for its season opener in Utah on Tuesday night, just like he was as a rookie. People will pay close attention to his progress, but the excitement that surrounded him during his first NHL season has calmed down a bit.
This is perfectly fine for Bedard, who, while seemingly okay with the attention, has never really liked talking about himself too much.
“It feels good for myself, just being maybe a little more relaxed going into it,” Bedard said. The biggest change with Bedard, who just turned 19 in July, might relate more to the team around him than to him personally.
To help Bedard improve his game and move forward from their rebuilding phase, Chicago has made changes to its roster after finishing with a record of 23-53-6 last year.
Bedard skated with Teuvo Teravainen and Ilya Mikheyev—two new players acquired during the offseason—during the team’s last practice before heading to Utah. He also practiced with Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed with Chicago in free agency, during training camp.
“I think he’s always had that confidence with the puck and making plays,” defenseman Connor Murphy said. “I’d say if anything now he’s got more veterans around him on his line, so I think that can help in different situations in the game and having more of a 200-foot game.”
Bedard was chosen by Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. Despite all the attention that came with his NHL debut, he scored 22 goals and had 39 assists, even though he missed over a month due to a broken jaw.
He won the Calder Memorial Trophy for NHL rookie of the year. After his first season, he focused on using what he learned to prepare for his second year.
“I think, for me, a lot of speed and stuff,” Bedard said. “I was in the gym and on the ice just trying to put myself in as much of game situations as I can.”
Some of Bedard’s confidence going into his second year—thanks to his impressive skills, which he sharpened over the summer—comes from the experience he gained last season.
“I think there’s just little things that you pick up or you change a little bit after getting used to the league and playing some games,” he said. “So I think there’s just kind of little plays that I make now or know what’s going to work and all that.”
Bedard, listed at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, showed some toughness during Chicago’s preseason games, getting into a scuffle with Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek and fighting with St. Louis forward Zach Bolduc.
He downplayed it as “just hockey” and noted that he would likely lose a fight against most NHL players.
Coach Luke Richardson also minimized the importance of Bedard’s physical play in the preseason. However, he pointed out where he thinks Bedard’s game is heading.
“I think he’s just going to get stronger and know when he needs to hold on to that puck and know when he needs to get it off his stick a little bit earlier and spin-off and get open again,” Richardson said. “And I think those things are going to come in time. He’s just raring to go and move up the ladder, both as a team and then I think himself individually.”
