Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard (born July 17, 2005) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the greatest ice hockey prospects of his generation, he was selected first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut that year.
| Connor Bedard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bedard with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023 | |||
| Born |
July 17, 2005 North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| NHL Draft |
1st overall, 2023 Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| Playing career | 2023–present | ||
Bedard was selected by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) first overall in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2020 as the first WHL player of exceptional player status, and won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie player in his debut season. In his third year in the WHL, he won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer and was given the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as its most valuable player, before also earning the Canadian Hockey League's Top Scorer and Player of the Year honours.
Competing internationally for Canada, Bedard won championships with the Canadian national under-18 team in 2021 and with the Canadian national junior team in 2022 and 2023. His 2023 tournament performance set several national and international points records, and led to his being named the event's MVP. Bedard was the inaugural recipient of the IIHF Male Player of the Year award.