Rookie dealt with off-ice hype and on-ice pressure, especially after Blackhawks were ripped by wave of injuries.

Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson didn't hold back the praise for Calder Trophy finalist Connor Bedard following the 2023-24 rookie season of the NHL's "next generational talent."

The 18-year-old Bedard carried himself superbly on and off the ice, said Davidson, who drafted Bedard first overall last June.

"I think it was incredible," Davidson said. "I think the expectation, the weight that was put on his shoulders, given his profile walking into the league was really difficult to handle."

Bedard led all rookie scorers with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games. The forward fell short of some point-per-game predictions, but missed 14 contests with a broken jaw. The North Vancouver, British Columbia native skated on a 23-53-6 Chicago team that started thin, then was depleted by injuries.

The build-up and hype leading to Bedard's arrival in the NHL may have been the most intense for any player in league history. It easily topped the buzz surrounding the Blackhawks' only other No. 1 overall pick, Patrick Kane in 2007.  It exceeded what Sydney Crosby, Mario Lemieux and even Wayne Gretzky faced in an era before social media and round-the-clock TV sports programming inflamed attention.

Gretzky quietly played his first NHL game at the old Chicago Stadium against the Blackhawks in October 1979. Edmonton reporters were there, but there were no swarms of Canadian or U.S. national media. (I was, BTW.)

TSN, Sportsnet, ESPN and the like didn't exist yet. TV cameras weren't even routinely allowed into NHL dressing rooms then.

Big Build Up Hits Fan

Bedard's build up, especially in Canada, was nuts. Chicago started its season on the road, with a win over Crosby and the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Media coverage at ensuing stops in Montréal, then Toronto was swarming.

"I don't think anyone can adequately quantify the degree of difficulty of what he had to deal with off the ice, to then go perform on the ice" Davidson said. "We worked with him to make it as seamless as possible, and for the most part, I think we accomplished that.

"But having said that, he's an 18-year-old player that had to go through more media attention than any player in recent memory and probably more than any player entering the league ever just given the social media age and the age that we're in right now." See video.

Bedard answered media questions calmly, and many over and over in different cities by reporters who hadn't done their homework. The press sessions didn't throw him off. 

Poised On The Ice, Too

Adjusting to the coverage by NHL defenders — and the speed and size of opponents — is still a work in progress for Bedard, however. 

At times he broke through last season. Other times he was frustrated when moves and tricks that worked in WHL got nowhere in the NHL.

Other times, Bedard just tried to do too much, coach Luke Richardson often said. Bedard will figure it out.

And it wasn't easy for Bedard to start his career on this next-to-last team. Chicago has 13.5% odds of winning the NHL Draft Lottery again when it takes place on May 7.

"He certainly offensively delivered everything that you would want out of a first-year, 18-year-old player and someone of his skill set," Davidson said. "So was really, really impressed. I don't think many other players could walk in and do what he did."  See video.

The Blackhawks were badly depleted by injuries in their 23-53-6 season. Key players — including defenseman Seth Jones and Connor Murphy, and forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Nick Foligno were out for stretches. Bedard himself missed 14 games with a broken jaw after Brendan Smith's hit in New Jersey.  

Corey Perry, expected to provide leadership, was released by the Blackhawks on Nov. 28 after violating team policies. Baseless social media rumors regarding what Perry supposedly did pulled Bedard and his family into the controversy.

The worst loss though might have been forward Taylor Hall, who underwent season-ending right ACL surgery in November. Davidson had acquired the former Hart Trophy winner and 2010 No. 1 draft pick expressly to skate alongside Bedard and ease his entry to the NHL.

"The injuries we sustained, that didn't make anything any easier on him," Davidson said. "It only increased the offensive burden that he had to carry and he had to shoulder.

"When your depth is depleted, it gives the opposition a more specific subset of players to focus on and obviously him being one of the top ones to focus on made his life even harder on the ice. And so to produce the way he did I think was outstanding."