Connor Bedard, Blackhawks agree to NHL entry-level contract

The Athletic has live coverage of Connor Bedard’s debut and the Blackhawks vs. Penguins matchup

The Chicago Blackhawks ensured Connor Bedard’s 18th birthday on Monday would be all that more memorable.

The Blackhawks and Bedard celebrated by agreeing to terms on a three-year, entry-level deal Monday.

The Blackhawks selected Bedard, who is considered a potential generational talent, as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on June 28.

There wasn’t a doubt whether Bedard would sign his entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, but it was a question of when. Since neither the Blackhawks nor Bedard was in any rush, they decided to wait until Bedard officially turned 18 to finalize the contract.

Sign your first NHL contract on your birthday ✅ pic.twitter.com/qM7Wy3EVRd

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) July 17, 2023

Bedard recently attended Blackhawks development camp and got his first taste of the organization and city.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Bedard said in Chicago on July 6. “Getting to come here, I was happy it was kind of right away (after the draft), get to the city, see everything and obviously meet all the staff, all the players and being here and see the facilities and everything. I loved it and had a lot of fun.”

Since winning the draft lottery in April, the Blackhawks have witnessed “the Bedard effect” off the ice for the franchise. Season-ticket sales soared with the lottery news and have continued throughout the summer. Bedard jerseys have flown off the racks and been sold in the thousands.

The Blackhawks are hopeful Bedard will have a similar impact on the ice this coming season. He’s expected to step in and be the Blackhawks’ No. 1 center from his first game of the 2023-24 season.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has been far from declaring the organization’s on-ice rebuild complete, but he did acknowledge what drafting Bedard does for that endeavor.

“Those players that can reach star potential are the hardest boxes and hardest positions to fill when you’re building a team, and obviously first overall is a place where you hope you can get that,” Davidson said at the draft. “And I feel like we’ve got a player in Connor that has every chance to be that type of player for us.”

Bedard has been under the hockey world’s spotlight since being granted exceptional status by the Canadian Hockey League when he was 14. He has also been considered the likely No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft for a number of years. Despite all of the attention and pressure, Bedard has remained focused on enjoying hockey and being a teenager.

“I’m a normal person in the end,” Bedard said at the Blackhawks development camp. “That’s something, you have a little more noise around you or whatever, people may forget that a little bit. I’m a human being, I’m still a 17-year-old kid. There are responsibilities that come along with the noise and attention and stuff, and I’m aware of that, but in the room, I’m just one of the guys and in life and with my family. I’m a normal person.”

Required reading

(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)