There were no surprises on Wednesday night when the Chicago Blackhawks handed the name of the player they will take with the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. As expected, the Blackhawks went with center Connor Bedard, who is considered a generational and franchise-altering prospect.
The 17-year-old Bedard was widely considered the best player in the 2023 class. He had a stellar campaign in Canadian Hockey League this past season, scoring 71 goals and adding 72 assists for a total of 143 points in 52 games.
Bedard is already expected to have a similar impact as winger Patrick Kane, whom the Blackhawks selected with the No. 1 pick in 2007. Kane became a franchise legend, leading the Chicago team to three Stanley Cup wins.
However, the Blackhawks’ general manager Kyle Davidson is making sure that Bedard isn’t met with too high of expectations.
“We’ll see. We’ll let him figure that out,” Davidson told the reporters. “He’s a pretty special player, a very special person. We’ll let him determine how special that first season is.”
While the Blackhawks’ pick wasn’t a surprise, the one that the Anaheim Ducks made with the second overall selection was. It was believed that the Ducks would take the University of Michigan’s Adam Fantilli, but they instead went with Orebro HK’s Leo Carlsson.
Fantilli instead went third to the Columbus Blue Jackets, while the San Jose Sharks took Boston College’s center Will Smith. The Montreal Canadiens rounded out the Top 5 by selecting Austrian defenseman David Reinbacher.
