Connor Bedard is on the board in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform.
Though it wasn’t during regular-season play, or even pre-season play, the hat trick the 2023 first-overall pick scored in a 5-0 Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday was impressive nonetheless.
“It was nice to see a few go in,” Bedard said. “There were good screens and good plays made by the guys. It’s not kind of all on me.”
Bedard scored his first as a Blackhawk on the power play late in the second period off a pin-point accurate wrist shot from the right faceoff circle in St. Paul, Minn.
But, Bedard was far from finished after that beauty.
The North Vancouver, B.C., native would strike again at the 4:54 mark of the third period, dancing around the Blues’ zone before ripping another lightning-quick wrister, this time from a sharp angle, that found the top corner during a power play.
To cap the impressive performance and hat trick, Bedard put NHL goaltenders on notice with his third wrist-shot tally.
The 18-year-old would also add an assist to round out his four-point stat line.
“It doesn’t mean too much. It’s just nice to play a game,” Bedard said. “It was so much fun being with the guys, getting here … You just kind of have that mojo going in. That was the best part, just getting back into it.
Bedard showed the scoring touch that helped him lead the WHL in goals (71), points (143), shots on goal (360), points per game (2.51) and goals per game (1.24) in 57 games last season.
The anticipation around the highly touted prospect’s regular-season debut is only growing stronger with Saturday’s performance. In the 90 minutes following the Draft Lottery back in April, the Blackhawks’ season-ticket sales spiked dramatically, according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, with fans looking for a chance to see Bedard in NHL action.
Bedard wasn’t the only highly touted rookie to have a productive night. Columbus Blue Jackets‘ third-overall pick Adam Fantilli also scored a hat trick and recorded two assists in a 10-7 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
The Blackhawks will open their season on the road against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10.