Connor Bedard has five NHL games under his belt and the 18-year-old rookie is already dazzling for the Chicago Blackhawks. Though his counting numbers may not show it, Bedard has consistently been one of the best players on the ice for Chicago throughout the opening act of this season.
Bedard notched his first career point in his debut, then scored his first NHL goal in the next game. He helped the Blackhawks secure a pair of victories during a brutal five-game roadtrip to begin the season. Three points in five games is about as good as it gets for an 18-year-old's first taste in the NHL. Bedard wants more though.
“I feel I’m playing well,” Bedard said, via Mark Lazerus. “Just trying to find the back to the net, and that’s been the hardest part so far. You’re going to get a little frustrated.”
The Blackhawks' budding star has created plehtora of chances for himself and teammates so far, only to have three points show for it. Though he's been involved in more than 25% of Chicago's goals through five games, Bedard says there's more to come and doesn’t seem worried that he'll find his groove.
“I’ve created chances,” he said. “It’s pretty wild, just kind of can’t score. But the big thing is creating chances. I’ve had so many good looks. The goalie makes a good save or I just miss or whatever. Just sticking with it. You should be more worried if you’re not getting those looks. Of course, I want to see some go in, but it’s only been a few games.”
Goals will come for Bedard
Anyone worried that Connor Bedard will struggle to score goals is a fool. He's a natural-born goalscorer and showed that in juniors on the brightest of stages. He scored 81 goals in 64 games in his final junior season and broke records at the World Junior Championships by becoming Canada's all-time points leader in the tournament.
Bedard was being compared to Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby before the draft and was the surefire No. 1 overall pick regardless of which team was picking. The Blackhawks got lucky winning the lottery but Bedard perhaps drew an unfair comparison to two of the most anticipated players to debut since the turn of the century.
While we're comparing though, it's worth pointing out that McDavid took some time to break out in the NHL. He had one point in his first four games in 2015, only to burst onto the scene with 11 points in the next seven games.
Connor Bedard might not replicate that across the next two weeks, but he should start to find the back of the net more often and stuff the scoresheet for Chicago. The Blackhawks are obviously willing him to do what he wants on the ice and are playing him at a historic rate. Hockey's newest young phenom will come around sooner rather than later, and watch out when he does.
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