The NHL's next superstar, Connor Bedard's feisty return

Connor Bedard missed a month of NHL action with a broken jaw, since returning he has two goals and six points, per Hockey Reference, but it is not just his on-ice performances that have caught the eye.

Whilst not an intimidating presence, Bedard has, according to Ken Campbell of Hockey News, started "standing up for himself," and "getting into people’s faces and generally being a lot feistier." Something he is going to need as his star rises and the target on his back gets bigger.

Bedard has started life in the NHL well despite missing time with the aforementioned jaw injury. He has contributed 39 points (17 goals, 22 assists) in 42 games as a rookie, suggesting he is going to be a star in the league for a long time to come.

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When a player as good as Bedard comes along, it is always worth knowing his background, so let's take a look at how he ended up in Chicago as one of the brightest young talents in hockey.

In 2019, the world of ice hockey was changed forever. For the first time, a player obtains the status of "exceptional player" in the Western Hockey League (WHL), this young man is called Connor Bedard and he is only 14 years old.

This new status is not only honorary, it allows him to play in the WHL a year earlier than other prospects, which he joined in 2020, aged just 15. Three years later, Connor Bedard has already reached the elite, the NHL, and is traumatizing defenses already.

The 18-year-old Canadian rookie is taken with the first overall pick of the 2023 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. 13 games later, Connord Bedard has already scored 13 points (nine goals and four assists). So far, the played once classified as "exceptional" is already lighting up the league. Here is his journey to the top.

Born July 17, 2005, in Vancouver, Connor Bedard studied at West Vancouver Academy. There, he regularly played against opponents who were three years his senior.

At 14, he faced 17-year-old players but that didn't stop him from being the top scorer in the entire league with 84 points in 36 games, a crazy total. His performances do not go unnoticed, with scouts and coaches never seeing talent like this before.

Faced with the emergence of such a phenomenon, the WHL had no choice but to award the status "exceptional player" to Connor Bedard, allowing him to compete freely in the league. Aged only 15 years old, Bedard was now playing without restrictions in the WHL, when previously 15-year-olds were only allowed to play five times a year.

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There have only been six players given this designation before, including Shane Wright and John Tavares (pictured). Bedard is the first player to achieve it in the WHL.

Selected first overall in the WHL draft by the Regina Pats in 2020, his debut was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was then loaned to Sweden and returned in 2021 where he scored 28 points in 15 games and won the Jim Piggott Trophy, designating him as rookie of the year.

He was then selected for  Canada's youth teams. Named captain during the 2021 under-18 ice hockey world championship, he won the gold medal. In 2022, he played in the World Junior Championships and won the gold medal with four goals in two matches. Bedard repeats the feat in 2023 where he is named best attacker and best player of the tournament.

In seven games, he collected 23 points (goals and assists), including nine goals, with seven and six points respectively against Germany and Austria... Crazy!

At the end of the season, the International Ice Hockey Federation awarded him the title of male player of the year... at only 17 years old!

With the Regina Pats, he scored 100 points in 62 games, including 51 goals. His performances allowed him to win the Bob-Clarke Trophy for top scorer. and the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy awarded to the league's best player. The young man's rise is impressive and nothing seems to be able to stop him.

Connor Bedard also won the Canadian Hockey League's best prospect trophy, the Canadian Hockey League player of the season and the Canadian Hockey League's top scorer. He is the first player in history to win these three titles in the same season.

Obviously, after such performances, the whole world has its eyes glued to the Canadian's debut in the NHL. Drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, he played his first official game in the league against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 11. He recorded an assist and his team won 4-2.

The next day, he scored his first goal in the defeat against the Boston Bruins (3-1) and already showed all his qualities against one of the best teams in the league.

Bedard's talent is obvious for all to see, making him one of the most exciting players to watch in hockey already. We will be sure to keep an eye on him as his career develops!

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