The Chicago Blackhawks have lost their last few games and figure to not be playoff contenders this season, but rookie Connor Bedard continues to impress, especially during the 3-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, when he scored the only goal for Chicago and earned a lot of praise from head coach Luke Richardson.

“He was excellent,” Luke Richardson said of Connor Bedard's performance. “In the first two periods, especially, he had some really excellent bursts out there, which we've talked about, adding a little more speed to that talent. I think we saw that. I liked his game. I think it's going in the right direction. He's not happy with the result of the game, but he should be happy with his play tonight.”

Bedard has shown a lot of promise in his rookie season for the Blackhawks, showing the kind of high-end talent that the team believed they were getting when they selected him with the No. 1 pick this summer. Currently, Bedard has 11 goals and nine assists for 20 points in 23 games played, according to Hockey Reference.

It is a bit under a point-per-game pace right now for Bedard, but being a rookie, the production is living up to expectations as an 18-year-old player. It will be interesting to see how he develops throughout his rookie season and in the future for the Blackhawks, as he hopes to become a centerpiece of the next contender in Chicago.

Richardson seems satisfied with Bedard's play, especially in this stretch of recent games.