Chicago Blackhawks star and 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard certainly did not disappoint in his rookie season.
The 18-year-old Connor Bedard was regarded as a generational prospect before the Blackhawks selected him first overall a year ago. In 68 games on a lowly Hawks team, Bedard finished with 22 goals and a team-leading 61 points.
But one of Bedard’s linemates, Philipp Kurashev, recently indicated that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in the North Vancouver native’s rookie year.
During an interview with the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in Switzerland, Kurashev stated that he oftentimes felt sympathy for Bedard because of all the media attention and publicity he quickly garnered:
“Sometimes I felt sorry for Connor. He was our player who had to talk to the media the most. Whenever it was about our team, he was always mentioned. He was always busy: interviews, photo shoots and who knows what else. Even in the hotels or on the street: everyone always wanted something from him. If his name was mentioned or he touched the puck, everyone in the stadium went crazy.”
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Connor Bedard seemed to handle all of the pressure, publicity and media obligations just fine in year one. It can be overwhelming to experience all of that as an 18-year-old, especially in a massive market like Chicago.
But Bedard also knows that he’s doing something right if he’s garnering as much exposure as practically every other NHL player. At the end of the day, who wouldn’t want to be talked about as much as Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby et al?
Connor Bedard Headlines A Promising Blackhawks Future
The best players in hockey make the players around them that much better, and we saw it on full display with Bedard this season.
Philipp Kurashev never topped nine goals or 25 points in a season before Connor Bedard’s arrival. This year? The 24-year-old finished with 18 goals and 54 points, easily smashing his career bests.
The Blackhawks are in the midst of a giant rebuild with franchise greats like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith long gone. But Bedard is a franchise-changing talent who should lift the Hawks back to relevance in the not-so-distant future.
It also helps that Chicago holds the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft, giving the front office the prime opportunity to add another game-changing star to complement Bedard.
