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Hockey Canada is aggressively scouting for the 4 Nations Face-Off next February, and although Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard wants to make the team, his main focus is with the 2-4-1 Hawks.
“I definitely hope so,” Bedard told TSN's Jay Onrait about potentially playing for Team Canada. “For me, I'm not focused on it right now. I'm focused on here in Chicago and helping us win.”
The young phenom continued: “But obviously, if I play well enough and give myself a chance (to make the roster), that'd be great. There's so many players in Canada that could be on that team. … Of course, I have confidence in myself, but we'll see what happens down the road.”
Bedard will certainly be in the conversation to be on Team Canada when the 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off in Montreal next February — but there are a plethora of excellent centers to choose from.
All of McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brayden Point were already named to the squad back in June, and there are only so many center spots to go around.
The full roster will be unveiled between November 29 and December 2 by Hockey Canada. The preeminent hockey nation will join the United States, Finland and Sweden at the tournament, which begins in Montreal and finishes in Boston.
Bedard will be considered for the team despite his inexperience and youth, although it's hard to see him playing a starring role if he does get the nod. Although he's put together a solid 2024-25 campaign thus far, with seven points in seven outings, he's scored just one goal in that span.
Connor Bedard is off to a decent if unspectacular start in 2024-25
Bedard has directed 25 shots on net through seven contests — that leads the Blackhawks — but he's shooting at a rate of just 4 percent in the early going. That should correct itself as the season rolls on; the 19-year-old has been placing more of a focus on his defensive game in 2024-25.
“I think I was cheating maybe a little too much last year for offense,” Bedard said on Wednesday, per The Score's Kayla Douglas. “But I think it's just a balance. It's such a mentality, I find, for myself. I always want to have the puck, I always want to be in the offensive zone, but half the game's played in your own end. Just being responsible. I feel like when you are better in your own end, you get the puck back, and you go in their end. That's when it's fun to play.”
After struggling mightily at 5-on-5 in his rookie year, Bedard is plus-1 at 5-on-5 this season, so improvements are being made in his sophomore campaign. Hawks head coach Luke Richardson addressed his best player's scoring slump on Wednesday.
“I think he keeps calm,” the bench boss said. “I think he gets a little frustrated at instant moments and moves on. He's got some good maturity in that area. I'd like to see him shoot the puck a little bit more and maybe a little quicker, but he knows that, and sometimes it doesn't present itself. You don't want him to start forcing it, either. I think he's going to be a guy that, when it goes in, there's going to be a lot of them going in.”
The reigning Calder Trophy winner will look to get back on the scoresheet when the Blackhawks welcome the struggling Nashville Predators to the United Center on Friday night.
