Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill praised Connor Bedard's all-around performance a day after the center was dropped out of Canada for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games.
Bédard, 20, is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He skated before practice on Monday and could return this month.
Bedard was among the NHL leaders with 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games before he was injured Dec. 12 in St. Louis. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday that Bedard was in the loop “until the last second” and the injury was not a major factor in the decision.
Acknowledging the challenge of building Team Canada's roster for the 2026 Games, Blashill took aim at some of the talk surrounding Bedard in his third season as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
“I don't think the rest of the league knows how good of a two-way hockey player Connor has become,” said Blashill, who was hired in May. “That's probably the only thing, and I don't know why. Maybe it's based on past years. But I don't think they have a full understanding of how good a winning hockey player he is today.”
Bedard was a gifted offensive playmaker long before his NHL debut in October 2023. But other aspects of his game have come a long way since he first joined the Blackhawks.
He has a plus-eight rating this season after having a plus-minus rating of minus-80 while playing for two last-place teams in his first two years in the league. He won 47% of his faceoffs, up from 38.3% last season.
Blashill noted that some of the concerns about Bedard have more to do with defensive limitations than the center's on-ice play.
The Blackhawks are 13-12-6 in their first 31 games with Bedard, who could still be added to Team Canada as an injury replacement. They are 2-6-1 since he was injured.
“That's the impact he's had. That's the type of two-way player (he is),” Blashill previously said. Thursday's 4-3 win over Dallas.. “You don't have that influence if you're just scoring points. You only have that influence if you're a true two-way player, winning, and that's what he's become.”
The Hawks also played without Frank Nazar, who was placed on IR on Sunday after he was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss to Ottawa on Dec. 20. He is expected to miss approximately four weeks.
The Blackhawks lost another center when Jason Dickinson left the team in Tuesday night's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders with an unspecified injury. But Dickinson skated Thursday morning and played nearly 19 minutes in the win over the Stars.
