Chicago Blackhawks WIN the NHL draft lottery, putting them on track to draft Connor Bedard – one of the most hyped prospects in hockey history
- Chicago takes first place for the first time since 2007, when they grabbed Patrick Kane
- Connor Bedard finished his WHL season with 143 points in just 57 games
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
After a season of struggles and struggles, the Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery and claimed the No. 1 overall pick.
This is the first time Chicago has won the NHL draft lottery since 2007 when they selected Patrick Kane.
With this pick, they have the rights to draft one of the most hyped hockey players in the history of the sport: Canadian forward Connor Bedard.
Last season, Bedard played in Canada’s major juniors with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, scoring a whopping 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points in just 57 games.
They also won with the third best chance of taking the top pick – with only an 11.5 percent chance of being number one.
Bedard reacts as he celebrates an overtime victory against Team Czech Republic
Anaheim, the NHL’s worst team in 2022-23, had the best odds with an 18.5 percent chance of the top pick, followed by Columbus (13.5 percent), Chicago (11.5), San Jose ( 9.5), Montreal (8.5), Arizona (7.5), Philadelphia (6.5), Washington (6), Detroit (5), St. Louis (3.5), Vancouver (3.0) ).
Other teams in the lottery but unable to get the best overall pick include Ottawa (2.5), Buffalo (2), Pittsburgh (1.5), Nashville (0.5) and Calgary (0.5 ).
Bedard may not have been able to lead Regina to the Memorial Cup – the championship series for Canada’s junior competitions – but he helped lead Canada to a gold medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships.
There, he led the tournament in scoring with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points and was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.
With moves and vision that have been compared to Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner, speed and skating comparable to Oilers center Connor McDavid, and a shot compared to the release of Toronto center Auston Matthews, NHL executives – especially those whose teams sit at the bottom of the standings – have to dream of what Bedard would mean for their franchise.
“What a talent,” said Marner in January. “He has a lot of skill… his shot is unreal. But his work ethic, his game on pucks is great to watch.”
However, despite all the garish numbers Bedard put forward, he declined to discuss those achievements in the wake of the gold medal, saying, “I want to talk about us and what we’ve accomplished.”
Bedard skates with other CHL potentials in Langley, British Columbia in January
His world junior coach, Dennis Williams, said he was impressed with how a player who has already been mentioned in the same breath as Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby handled the demands.
“Many people look at what he does on the ice and don’t realize how humble and cerebral he is,” Williams said, according to The Canadian Press.
“I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes with the amount of attention and pressure he gets night in and night out. He’s older than his age.’
The draft combine takes place in Buffalo from June 4-10 and the draft itself takes place in Nashville on June 28-29.