Jan 25, 2023; Langley, BC, CANADA; CHL Top Prospects team red forward Connor Bedard (98) warms up in the CHL Top Prospects ice hockey game at Langley Events Centre. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Hockey: CHL Top Prospects Game
(New York, NY) — Connor Bedard, you are a Chicago Blackhawk.
Bedard is set to be selected by Chicago with the first overall pick, in what could spark a full 180 degree turn for the franchise.
This is only the second time the Blackhawks won the lottery in 20 years. The first resulted in a player named Patrick Kane who parlayed the selection into three Stanley Cups.
Bedard has big shoes to fill with Kane and longtime captain Jonathan Toews leaving the team in the tail end of the regular season.
The Original Six franchise now has its new face, and Bedard is excited to be the hero.
“Hopefully that’s what we’ve got here. It can change a franchise, it can change a city…,” general manager Kyle Davidson said. “…it can change an era in a team’s history. There’s a lot of weight to that and lot of significance to that.”
The second pick went to Anaheim who won the lottery and instead will choose from Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov, and Leo Carlsson.
