Nashville, Tenn. (670 The Score/WGR 550) - The Chicago Blackhawks now have a new face of the franchise and a renewed hope.
With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on Wednesday in Nashville, the Blackhawks selected highly touted forward Connor Bedard, whom talent evaluators consider to be a generational prospect.
Bedard, who will turn 18 on July 17, is considered by most to be the best prospect to enter the NHL since Connor McDavid went No. 1 overall to the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft.
A native of Vancouver, Bedard posted eye-popping numbers for the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League, scoring 134 goals to go along with 137 assists in 134 games across three seasons. He won the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league’s top player in 2023, when he had 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 games.
Bedard also posted nine goals and 14 assists over seven games with Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship earlier this year en route to being named the tournament MVP.
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The Blackhawks landed the opportunity to select Bedard by winning the NHL Draft lottery back in May. The Anaheim Ducks owned the best odds at 25.5%, while the Columbus Blue Jackets had the second-highest odds at 13.5%.
The Blackhawks had the third-best odds with an 11.5% chance of earning the No. 1 pick.
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“If they do select me, that would be a huge honor,” Bedard said of the Blackhawks as he recently addressed reporters at the NHL Combine in Buffalo.
The Blackhawks went 26-49-7 and finished in last place in the Central Division this past season. Their 59 points tied for the second-fewest in the NHL. Chicago has made the playoffs just once over the last six years, and that came in the pandemic-altered 2020 campaign when the postseason was expanded to 24 teams. The Blackhawks would’ve missed the playoffs otherwise.
The Blackhawks announced their intention to rebuild in October 2020 after failing to continue their era of success that included Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
The organization has since been stained by a sexual assault scandal, which led to the ouster of general manager Stan Bowman in October 2021, while they've also had prolonged struggled on the ice.
Kyle Davidson was hired by the Blackhawks as their new general manager in March 2022 after he had filled the interim role for about five months. Davidson soon kicked the rebuild into a higher gear, stripping the roster of more veterans last offseason as he stockpiled draft capital.
In late February, the Blackhawks traded star winger Patrick Kane to the contending New York Rangers. The Blackhawks also announced in April that longtime captain Jonathan Toews wouldn’t return to the team for the 2023-24 season.
The Blackhawks last selected at No. 1 overall in 2007, when they drafted Kane, who went onto to become a three-time Stanley Cup champion, a four-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2015-16 season amid a storied 16-year career in Chicago.
With the selection of Bedard, the Blackhawks have now marked an important milestone in their rebuild, landing a player whom they hope can be the cornerstone of a new era for the organization.
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The Blackhawks also hold the No. 19 overall pick in the first round acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Rounds 2-7 will be held Thursday morning in Nashville.