Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, entered the league with enormous expectations.
He has given Chicago Blackhawks fans some glimpses of brilliance through the first month of his career but really put everything together on Thursday night in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Bedard recorded his first career two-goal game and also set a career high with four points.
What made it even more impressive is that he was the best player on the ice and took over the game against one of the league’s best teams and a consistent Stanley Cup contender.
Bedard is by far the most hyped prospect to enter the league since Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid and is carrying the expectations of not only being a star, but also a franchise changing player for the Blackhawks. Their entire rebuild was set around positioning themselves to land him in the draft with the hope he can jumpstart their rebuild.
Thursday was a sign of what could be ahead.
The key for the Blackhawks and their fans will be patience. As good as Bedard already is and can be, the team around him is still very much a work in progress. But any rebuild that is successful needs a top tier talent.
Bedard is that player, and even as a teenager he showed on Thursday he is capable of dominating even the best teams.
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