Connor Bedard Started His Blackhawks Career With A Casual Hat Trick vs The St Louis Blues
I know the haters will say that this was just some throw-away prospect tournament up in Minnesota. Well, Bedard didn't treat it that way. He went out and absolutely dominated the first time he wore a Blackhawks sweater. He was spectacular from the drop of the puck. That's what we all wanted to see. He's the reason this was broadcast on youtube for the first time ever and he delivered. A hat trick and every goal would end up on a highlight reel. The toe-drag on the first one is going to be on repeat all year
The second goal was equally as absurd. He's backing away from the dangerous areas with control of the puck. Every opponent on the ice naturally resets and exhales a bit when the puck is moving away from the middle of the ice. Bedard has no leverage. Nobody else even thinks to the shoot the puck there and if they did their release isn't so quick that nobody can react and nobody is accurate enough to make it a problem. That's a Bedard goal. Only him, really. His release and the accuracy make him dangerous from everywhere.
There are going to be learning moments this year. The team isn't going to be that good overall. Bedard is going to be sensational to watch though. He's going to do things nobody else thinks to do. He's going to score and he's going to create. He's the guy. Dominating STL in a rookie game on 9/16 doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time he delivered beyond what was expected.