Connor Bedard Progress Report: December Check-In

It doesn’t even seem possible at this point, but Connor Bedard is improving every single month.

The 18-year-old rookie wrapped up his third month of NHL play in Sunday night’s loss at Dallas, and December was his best month yet. At the end of November, the biggest issue in the game of Chicago’s first overall pick was that he didn’t shoot the puck enough - he had an impressive shooting percentage but only averaged a bit over 2.5 shots per game. That rate improved tremendously in the final month of the calendar year, where he put 3.33 pucks on the net per game.

That amount of shots naturally translated to more scoring for the young superstar. His 15 points in the month’s 15 games were his highest of any month yet. Bedard was more in control of his offensive game throughout December, and when he wasn’t putting extraordinary shots in the net, he was setting up his teammates to do the same.

Bedard filled the past month with a number of on-ice highlights that proved once again why he was one of the most heralded draft prospects of the century. He delivered the NHL’s play of the year in a Saturday night game against the Blues, backhanding a “Michigan goal” in the top corner of the net. Less than a week later, Bedard notched his first career game-winning goal after dragging his team to overtime against the Jets.

Off the ice, Bedard made even more headlines. He and the Blackhawks delivered an iconic moment when fellow 2023 first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs came to town for a matchup against the Bulls. Bedard and Wembanyama met in the Blackhawks’ locker room for a jersey swap, and given the pair’s nearly two-foot height difference, the ensuing photos were… something. Bedard was also captured at the Blackhawks’ holiday family skate at the United Center, where he shared an adorable moment skating with Nick Foligno’s kids.

Past aspects of Bedard’s game with room for improvement have included his faceoff percentage and lack of shots on goal, but the rookie has done a great job of improving in both of those areas. His faceoff percentage was expected to be low this year, as is the case with nearly all rookies, but consistent work in that area has gotten his number over 40 percent on the year. His percentage has gotten better every month of his career, and as it continues to rise, he’ll turn into an even more well-rounded center and address one of Chicago’s biggest weaknesses.

It’s been a rough go of it for the Blackhawks this season, but the team can take solace in the fact that their rookie superstar has improved every month. As Bedard and his squad turn the calendar to 2024, he’ll look to continue to get better, bringing his team plenty more wins.