The Chicago Blackhawks named Connor Bedard captain, and he already has the proper mindset.
The Chicago Blackhawks officially named Connor Bedard as the 37th captain in franchise history on Tuesday morning. Entering his 4th year in the NHL, he now has a tremendous responsibility to lead the team that drafted him.
For now, Bedard is the youngest captain in the National Hockey League. With that will come the need to lean on some of the other veteran leaders in the room, but Bedard is more than capable of taking on this challenge.
With the naming of Bedard as the captain, Bedard put out a statement:
“Being named captain of the Blackhawks is an unbelievable honor and something I'm truly humbled by," Bedard said. "The captains who have come before me have left an incredible legacy. To now have the opportunity to carry that tradition forward is something I don't take lightly. I'm grateful to the organization and my teammates for putting their trust in me to lead this team. We're building something really special here, and I'm committed to making the entire Blackhawks organization and our fans proud."
General Manager Kyle Davidson, who had a leading hand in making this decision for the Chicago Blackhawks, had this to say:
“Connor perfectly embodies what it means to be a Blackhawk," Davidson said. "From the moment he entered the League, Connor has led by example and has set a remarkable standard for himself while demonstrating his ability to make the players around him better. He has earned the respect of his teammates and the entire organization through the way he prepares, competes, and conducts himself every single day, and there is no doubt that he is ready to take on this tremendous responsibility. We're proud to have him lead this storied franchise and excited for him to shape the next chapter of Blackhawks hockey."
On Tuesday, shortly after the team made the announcement, Bedard was part of a presser with Danny Wirtz, Kyle Davidson, and Jeff Blashill. When speaking, it is clear that he has the proper mindset needed to take on the role of captain.
"The mindset is to win," Bedard said. "This city and fanbase is used to winning. We want to bring that back. Last year, if you look at where we were until the Olympic break, we were in that spot. We let it slip away from us, which is frustrating. With the additions we made this summer, we have a really good team. You see the excitement in camp; guys are going hard and pushing each other. We are just going to make each other better every day."
Connor Bedard is a superstar player. He had his first 30 goal/point per game season in 2025-26, and that came in a year in which he missed some time due to injury. He did all of that before turning 21 in July. He has a claim to be considered the greatest under-21 Blackhawk of all time.
It won't be long before he has 100+ points and is considered to be a top-ten player. However, as the captain, that is all nice, but nothing compares to winning. His numbers will be nice no matter what, but his number one concern now is getting the Blackhawks to the top of the mountain. Anything short is a failure.
"We expect to win," Bedard said. "We're not expecting to finish where we were the last couple of years. If we don't win, that will be a disappointment."
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