When Connor Bedard opted out of the World Championship this year, he signaled to everyone that his offseason would be different.
"I felt the best decision to feel the best for next year and put myself in the best position for Oct. 5 or whenever our first game is, was not to go this year" (from 'Less is more for Blackhawks' Connor Bedard as he prepares for his third NHL season,' The Athletic, June 2025).
By most measures, his first two seasons have been superb. But he knew there was another level in him that he needed to unlock. Skipping the World Championship provided him the additional time he needed to figure out how to do that.
Five games into the season, and it seems Bedard's figured it out.
Bedard has notched two goals and four assists. But aside from the stat line, his presence has been noticeable immediately since opening night. He logged a maximum speed of 22.36 miles per hour, nearly one mile per hour quicker than his top speed last season. ESPN's Kevin Weekes commented on how apparent Bedard's improvement was at ice level.
For anyone wondering if Bedard's performance was fueled by opening-night adrenaline, the previous four games have shown us he means business. And his business isn't selling only speed; he's offering strength and grit as well.
Related: Connor Bedard Is Motivated by the Lack of Hype
Anyone who watched Bedard during his first two seasons noticed that he looked like a boy among men. Often he'd be knocked off pucks or fall down in corner scrums. (He was only a teenager, by the way.) His previous success relied upon his speed and slipperiness, but in the NHL, everyone is faster and harder to elude.
Bedard appears to have taken those frustrations to the gym, putting on five pounds of muscle this summer to make himself stronger on the puck. And, given how much he's been mucking it up in between whistles, that extra weight makes defending himself easier.
Blackhawks fans and hockey fans alike have noticed this new edition of Bedard. The difference is that Blackhawks fans have known Bedard is legit. Outsiders who have doubted him, though, are seeing him come into his own. Elliotte Friedman commented, "Connor Bedard looks a lot better too...whatever he did in the secret lab...he looks much faster, much stronger this year."
Similarly, Paul Bissonnette (perhaps one of Bedard's strongest, albeit fairest, critics) essentially had a come-to-Jesus moment last night during the TNT broadcast of the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues game. Bedard notched three assists as the Blackhawks scorched the Blues 8-3.
It would be easy to sit here and say, on behalf of all Blackhawks fans, "I TOLD YOU SO." But, as I'm a grown man, I won't do that.
Listen, it's only five games into the season. Bedard will have highs and lows. But this new layer of his game could only develop through experience and maturity. We've always known the talent was there, but learning to compete in the NHL is an entirely different skill.
Watching Bedard find his game like this should excite fans not only because of what he will do on the ice, but also because of the impact it will have off of it.
I'm not sure anyone has seriously considered Bedard the next captain or leader of this Blackhawks team. He simply hasn't shown that depth to his game yet. But if he continues at this pace, he will naturally unite and inspire that locker room.
Superstar-in-the-making Frank Nazar has already admitted as much. "It makes the game a lot more fun and more emotional. Honestly, I think it helps us, it gets us engaged and into the game," Nazar said of Bedard's scrappy attitude.
I'm not much of a country music fan myself, but I can't stop hearing Tim McGraw singing, "I like it, I love it, I want some more of it!"
This is the Bedard we've been waiting for, and here's to him keeping the momentum going all season.