More comfortable in his skin, Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard ready to go off in year 2

Credit: Oct 10, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) reacts to a goal by center Ryan Donato (not pictured) against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at the PPG Paints Arena. Beard assisted on the goal to record his first NHL point in his league debut. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS – It took all of two seconds to realize a different Connor Bedard was sitting across from us.

A year ago, Bedard was the prince who was promised to the city of Chicago, the most hyped hockey prospect in a generation, and the coverage surrounding him was frenzied no matter where he went. He was never one to be confused with a gregarious personality like peak P.K. Subban, and Bedard sometimes had that deer-in the-headlights look as he navigated life in the NHL and relentless media pressure at 18 years old. It was totally understandable.

But as soon as he arrived to speak with a small group of reporters at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas this week, the vibe was different. The shoulders were more relaxed. The smile and self-deprecating humor came easily. He laughed about hosting an Instagram Live fantasy football discussion with his buddies and watching the audience numbers rapidly plummet the longer they spoke. Bedard, 19, seems infinitely more comfortable in his own skin with one season – and one Calder Trophy – to his name. With Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks taking the baton as the ballyhooed No. 1 overall pick this summer, life moved at a much calmer pace this offseason, Bedard explains.

“Last year I was flying every other week and doing a bunch of stuff for the Draft and the start of my career, which is great,” Bedard said. “But it was really nice this summer, just getting to fully focus on training and trying to get better and then just being at home, being with friends and family. I feel, mentally, I was a little more tired going into camp last year just with all the extra stuff. So I feel pretty good and I’m definitely excited for that.”

It also can’t hurt that another Chicago-based team known as the Bears landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and secured a projected generational talent of their own in quarterback Caleb Williams. Bedard hasn’t met him but jokes that the pressure on Williams is like his own situation “times 100.” It’s not that the spotlight is totally off Bedard, but maybe it’s a bit less intense.

The broken jaw he suffered last winter after getting hit by a puck has healed nicely with no complications, Bedard anticipates no longer wearing the jaw guard on his helmet this coming season, and he’s been able to work on building up his body – and improving his skills – this summer. His deadly release and goal-scoring chops mostly came as advertised last season, as he buried 22 goals in his rookie campaign across 68 games, but he’s hoping to become a more complete player this season. When asked what has been the toughest element of the game to learn, he immediately answers, “faceoffs,” and, with a laugh, points out how low his win percentage was last year. Without the same whirlwind of attention he had a year ago, he’s had more time to focus on honing the finer elements of his game.

Bedard can also anticipate much more help around him this season. On top of Taylor Hall returning from a knee injury that cost him most of 2023-24, the Blackhawks added top-six forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, veteran defensemen Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie and goaltender Laurent Brossoit, among other pieces. It feels like Bedard won’t have to do everything on his own this time around.

“There’s guys who leave that you’re close with, but you see guys come in, and we had a big free agency and that was really exciting for us,” he said. “We feel going into this year that we have a lot to prove. It is disappointing last year with how things went. We’re competitive guys, we really didn’t enjoy that at all, so we feel like these [new] guys are going to come in and help us, and we got a lot of great players, so we’re excited.”

While Bedard’s supporting cast is vastly improved, let’s get one thing clear: it’s not like there’s no pressure on the kid as a sophomore. Bedard’s 0.90 points per game were the third-most by an 18-year-old NHLer this century, trailing only the rookie scoring rates of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. Talk about keeping elite company. Those two living legends exploded in their second seasons, both winning the Hart and Art Ross Trophies and both taking their teams to the playoffs. Does that mean Chicago should expect the same of Bedard?

“I mean, yeah, I’m very confident in myself and my abilities,” he said. “I’d rather show up than talk about it for sure, but I was kind of thinking that going into this summer, this is a big year for me to take the next step in my career and that’s what I wanted to do. Winning the Hart and the point race is pretty tough, so I’m not focused on that, but just going in [ready to] make more of an impact on every game and more consistency, you know the league a little more, so I feel good going into the year.”

An exhausted and slightly overwhelmed version of Bedard was still good enough to deliver one of the best rookie campaigns in recent memory. How dominant might a rested and comfortable Bedard be?

There’s no telling what the ceiling might be in year 2, and don’t count on a sophomore slump. As Bedard puts it, epitomizing the elite athlete mentality: “I’ve been highly motivated since I was four or five years old.”

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More comfortable in his skin, Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard ready to go off in year 2

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