What Victor Wembanyama is to the NBA, that's Connor Bedard is to the NHL. Bedard is virtually going to be the no. 1 overall pick at the 2023 NHL Draft, with the Chicago Blackhawks as his landing spot in the pros. Widely viewed as a can't-miss prospect and the clear-cut best prospect in this year's draft, Bedard has long made the Blackhawks fans excited for his seemingly inevitable arrival in Windy City.

Well, Connor Bedard just thrilled Blackhawks fans even more following his win as the International Ice Hockey Federation Male Player of the Year.

“This is such a huge honour,” Connor Bedard said when he learned of his latest win, per Andrew Podnieks of the IIHF website. “I’m not sure how to compare it to others I’ve received, but it’s pretty incredible to receive this award with all the unbelievable players that have competed in the IIHF this season and the amazing players that were nominated for this award.”

Connor Bedard spearheaded Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In seven games in the tournament, Bedard posted nine goals and 14 assists.

Bedard reportedly got 31.8 percent of the votes for the IIHF Male of the Year award. Coming in second in the voting was Latvia netminder Artus Silovs, while Switzerland's Andres Ambuhl had 19.2 percent to end up in third place.

The Blackhawks have their eyes set on selecting Connor Bedard at the upcoming NHL Draft, which will take place from June 28 to 29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.