The Chicago Blackhawks landed Connor Bedard in the 2023 NHL Draft, and he is one of the most hyped prospects in a long time. Connor Bedard's performance in the preseason for the Blackhawks seems to have legitimized that hype. Bedard appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday and talked about being the face of the Blackhawks right away.

“Obviously sometimes you're going to hear some (noise) and I think if you kind of look at it from the outside it is you know pressure and stuff, but for me, I'm just doing what I love and from when I was six years old to now, it's just kind of, that's the same mindset,” Bedard said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I feel fortunate to get to go to the rink every day and just never really wanted to not be in that situation, and kind of start here. You know, I'm living out a dream right now, so that's more what I focus on than maybe the expectations or comparisons or anything like that.”

Bedard also talked about how he always wanted to end up being an NHL player from when he was young.

“Yeah, right when I started I was lucky to kind of find that passion and I played a bit of soccer growing up and stuff, but nothing ever really clicked to me like hockey did,” Bedard said on The Pat McAfee Show.

The Blackhawks do not have crazy expectations, but it will be intriguing to see if Bedard lives up to expectations in his rookie season. He makes his NHL debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.