After his usual extra shooting practice after most/all of his teammates left the ice after Friday’s practice at Fifth Third Arena, Connor Bedard shuffled 🌊into the room to a waitinඣg hoard of media members and cameras.
It wasn’t as many as he had the first time he spoke with the media when he arrived at camp last year. The incoming rookie, No. 1 overall pick, “generational talent” had more eyeballs on him than anyone in the room last year. Heck, he might have had more eyes and camera lenses on him last year than anyone in the NHL.
Nothing was “normal” for Bedard last year. From a whirlwind summer that included getting drafted — and all of the ceremonies that came with that — to a development camp in Chicago, trying to workout for a few weeks before representing the Blackhawks at the NHL’s preseason media events (events that made him late to his first NHL camp), he jumped into the NHL coming off an incredibly busy “offseason.”
“Probably now that he’s coming into his second year, a lot less of that hoopla he had to go through on that initial road trip — just call it what it is, it’s not normal, what he had to go through last year,:” general manager Kyle Davidson said Friday.
This year: none of that. Bedard went to Czechia for the World Championship and then Vegas, where he was named the Calder Trophy winner and then announced the Blackhawks’ first pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. But then he got to go home and workout like normal.
Normal.
That’s how Bedard’s first media chat felt on Friday. He strolled in and thanked the media for waiting for him. He hung his gloves and skates, put on a Blackhawks cap and the lights turned on.
He looked more comfortable. He looked more confident. He looked… relaxed.
“I didn’t do an interview for a couple of months, which was unbelievable,” Bedard said, chuckling.
“It was great, for sure,” Bedard said. “Last year, like, it’s super cool, I don’t take any of it for granted, but it’s definitely a lot of stuff. It’s something you always want and it’s great, but once it’s done, you don’t want to do it again. It was a good summer.”
Last year, Davidson and head coach Luke Richardson — and, frankly, many of his veteran teammates — were regularly asked about the pressure and expectations placed on the 18-year-old face of the franchise. And how he was handling the pressure.
When the players met with the media at the end of the season, Nick Foligno asked the million dollar ques��tion. What can a more comfortable, confident C👍onnor Bedard do in the league?
Now B✨edard ♐is an NHL veteran. And Davidson spoke about how being more comfortable in his situation and being able to actually step away from the lights and cameras and work on his craft is a good thing for Bedard.
“I’m sure that’ll be a nice thing for him, to have a full offseason where he was just training and focusing on getting ready for the season,” Davidson said Friday. “But there’s also comfort in entering your second camp where you know what you’re walking into. You’ve been around the facility, you know what training camp is like, there’s a lot fewer questions that he’ll be wondering or having to answer heading into the year. … I’m sure there’s comfort in knowing what he’s getting into in the NHL, he knows the level of play, he’s been through a year, just much more relaxed coming into his second camp. I’m excited to see how he does.”
There has already been a lot of talk and buzz about what Bedard can do in his second year, comparing him with other elite prospects in recent history. There has also been talk about the influx of veterans who can help him elevate his game — and the team’s performance this season.
Watching him skate early in camp, Bedard looks as fresh as he ever has since joining the Blackhawks organꦓization. If he was almost a point-per-game player last year with a roster that dealt with a ridiculous amount of injuries, including a significant one of his own, a more confident, comfortable Bedard with an improved roster around him should be a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
