Connor Bedard Watch: No. 1 picks face off when Blackhawks visit McDavid, Oilers for 1st time

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, has taken the NHL by storm nine weeks into his professional career. Each Monday, NHL.com will take a look at what Bedard has done and what's ahead for him with the Connor Bedard watch.

WHAT HE'S DONE

Bedard leads the Blackhawks and NHL rookies with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 27 games, including two assists in a 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi (nine goals, seven assists), Columbus Blue Jackets forward Adam Fantilli (eight goals, eight assists) and New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (four goals, 12 assists) are tied for second with 16 points each. Bedard has a nine-game road point streak (eight goals, five assists), a Blackhawks record for a rookie, that he'll look to extend this week.

WHAT'S AHEAD THIS WEEK

The Blackhawks start with a two-game road trip against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SNW, ESPN) and the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday (10 p.m. ET; ROOT-NW, NBCSCH+, TVAS). The Oilers have won seven in a row. The Blackhawks return home to play the Vancouver Canucks at United Center on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; NHLN, NBCSCH, SN, TVAS).

MOST INTRIGUING MATCHUP

Bedard vs. McDavid

Of course, right? Bedard against Oilers captain Connor McDavid, who Bedard has been compared to in terms of talent and potential. McDavid leads the Oilers with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists). He finished with at least 105 points in each of his past three seasons and has won the Hart Trophy voted as most valuable player in the NHL three times (2016-17, 2020-21, 2022-23). Will Bedard be the next McDavid? Time will tell, but it'll be interesting to see how the 18-year-old matches up for the first time against the best player in the League on Tuesday.

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME

Blackhawks vs. Canucks

The anticipation around this one would be much, much higher if it was being played in Vancouver (Bedard is from North Vancouver) but we'll get to that in January. For now, it's still Bedard trying his luck against the Canucks (18-9-1), who are second in the Pacific Division. Elias Pettersson has been fantastic with 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists). So has Quinn Hughes, whose 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) lead NHL defensemen. The Blackhawks will have their hands full at the end of the week.

EDGE STAT OF THE WEEK

Bedard has 243 speed bursts between 18-20 miles per hour, which is in the 98th percentile. The NHL average is 119.

THEY SAID IT

"Once you're playing the game, it's hockey and you can't really be thinking about it too much, but before the game and going into a face-off or something, it's definitely pretty special. I feel pretty fortunate for those opportunities." -- Connor Bedard on if the awe factor of facing star players has waned