NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At precisely 6:16 p.m. Wednesday, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson finally recited the sentence Hawks fans have anticipated for nearly two months now.
“With the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks are very proud to select, from the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, Connor Bedard,” Davidson announced to the crowd at Bridgestone Arena.
And with that, Bedard — the 17-year-old Canadian phenom regarded as hockey’s best prospect in eight years — officially became the cornerstone of the Hawks’ new era and the face of hockey in Chicago.
The reasons for optimism are endless. For one thing, Bedard’s hockey abilities are astounding — particularly his shot, which might already be one of the best in the league. It’s how he produced a stunning 163 points in 64 junior games this past season and captured global attention at the world junior championships.
But Bedard’s maturity and team-first attitude are equally impressive. They’re what struck Davidson most during the Hawks’ draft preparation since winning the lottery — guaranteeing their opportunity to take Bedard — back on May 8.
“[He’s a] great player, great person,” Davidson said Tuesday. “Everyone has seen how he’s handled himself in the lead-up to this draft. Obviously [he’s gotten] a lot of attention, but he’s shown a maturity beyond his years. He’s 17 years old, but you’d never know it based on how he’s handled things.
The Hawks’ rebuild still has a long way to go before it makes the team into a contender again, but securing a superstar to build around is often the hardest part — and the Hawks have now checked that box.
And Bedard seems to have fully embraced that long road, despite how steadfastly he avoided penciling himself in as a future Hawk prior to Wednesday.
He experienced a similar situation with the Regina Pats, his junior team, as the far-and-wide best player on a team that had previously struggled. But his typically composed persona became a bit animated at the scouting combine when asked about trying to turn around the two organizations, demonstrating his team-first attitude in doing so.
“I think it’s pretty unfair for you to say that,” Bedard said June 10. “For me, going to Regina, I had a lot of good players with me, and I don’t think I was turning the franchise around. We were all trying to win games together. Wherever I end up, if I’m playing in the NHL, it’ll be the same thing. There’s no difference between guys on teams — you’re all in this together — so I don’t think I would think it at all like that.”
The rest of the Hawks’ robust 2023 draft class, as it takes shape the rest of Wednesday night and Thursday, should eventually provide him some help.
This story will be updated.