As everyone in the hockey world expected, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft — and the Pittsburgh Penguins shared a nice message to the young superstar.

Bedard will play against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on opening night in early October, which should be a hot ticket in Pennsylvania.

It was all but a sure thing that Bedard would be the first name selected in Wednesday's draft, and the 17-year-old said in his interview afterwards that he was already set to get to work with the Blackhawks.

Bedard became the second No. 1 pick in the history of Chicago's organization, joining Patrick Kane, who went first overall in 2007 and won three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

The Hawks had quite a large contingent at the NHL Draft in Nashville, and there was a loud and expectant cheer when Bedard heard his name called.

The North Vancouver native has posted back-to-back 100-point seasons with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, and figures to make an immediate impact for his new team in 2023-24. He scored 71 goals in 57 games last year, the most by a WHL player in 24 years.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound generational prospect will have huge expectations on his shoulder right off the bat, and has already earned comparisons to two of the game's greatest ever players in Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby.

With Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both moving on from the only teams they had played for, it's now officially the Connor Bedard era in Chicago — and it'll be Stanley Cup or bust expectations in the Windy City very soon.