Connor Bedard is now Blackhawks’ captain, best player and face of franchise, all in one

From a marketing standpoint, the Blackhawks have been Connor Bedard’s team for three years already.

He became the face of the franchise the moment he was drafted in June 2023 — perhaps even dating back a month further, to the moment the Hawks won the draft lottery in May 2023. Nothing about his performance since has changed that fact.

Now, the Hawks are officially Bedard’s team — in the locker room, on the NHL’s roster sheets and more.

The Hawks made the 21-year-old star forward the youngest captain in the league and the 37th captain in franchise history Tuesday.

“When I got told, it was a pretty surreal moment,” Bedard said. “You think maybe there’s a chance. Once it’s actually told [to you], and now to put the jersey on and see it, it’s special.

“I feel ready, for sure. [Over] the last three years, you just grow a lot and become more used to the day-to-day life and your teammates. How close our group is really helps. It’s really a family. Everyone can talk to each other and give each other advice, whatever you need. That part makes it easy. I’m excited to ask other guys questions, learn from them and be led by them, as well.”

The announcement was hardly surprising. The progression from Nick Foligno’s bridge captaincy the last two seasons to Bedard’s long-term captaincy always seemed preordained, and that’s exactly how it played out — just with a few months separating their tenures.

Bedard openly discussed his readiness to wear the “C” during exit interviews last April, further cementing the inevitability.

“For pretty much everyone in this room, this day almost feels inevitable,” Hawks chairman Danny Wirtz said. “Not because it was a foregone conclusion or something that didn’t have to be earned, but because from the minute Connor Bedard joined the Chicago Blackhawks, everyone could see…he was the type of player that teammates, coaches, media and fans gravitate toward.”

General manager Kyle Davidson said he had contemplated the decision over the past year, but there was “never much wavering at all on where we were going to head.” Bedard was informed late last week.

Veteran forwards Patrick Kane and Tyler Bertuzzi will serve as alternate captains. Kane called it a “no-brainer” for Bedard to be named captain.

It’s common in the modern NHL for teams’ best players to also serve as their captains, regardless of age. Foligno represented an exception to that trend. Bedard fits it perfectly, falling in with the likes of Connor McDavid (Oilers), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), Nick Suzuki (Canadiens) and Clayton Keller (Mammoth).

Bedard’s production has cemented his cornerstone status, even if frustratingly little team success has come from it to so far. He has 203 points in 219 games over his first three seasons, matching Kane’s production from his first 219 games. No other Hawk has tallied more than 122 points over the last three seasons combined.

Bedard checked another prerequisite box by signing a five-year contract this summer. Davidson pushed Bedard during negotiations to accept a medium-length term to send a message about his commitment to the organization. That idea resonated with Bedard, and he accepted.

Maturity and leadership skills still matter, though, even if they’re not the sole determining factors of captaincy the way they might’ve been decades ago.

And in that regard, Bedard’s growth — particularly over the last 12 months — checked the final box to demonstrate he’s ready for the captaincy.

Publicly, he revealed a more outspoken and occasionally funny side of himself last season, admitting last October he has learned to not “care too much about what some people think” about him.

And behind closed doors, he has proven to peers that he’s prepared to handle the pressure accompanying this role and, in doing so, guide the team out of its painful rebuild.

“The first part of being a captain…is being a great person, and Connor’s certainly that,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “But he also embodies everything we want to be about as a group. He has great work ethic. He’s an elite competitor. Most importantly, he wants to win more than anything else. He wants to win more than personal accolades.”

Bedard’s personality differs noticeably from Foligno and their legendary predecessor, Jonathan Toews.

For this Gen Z era of Hawks, however, it fits perfectly. Players interact differently and respond to criticism differently now, and Bedard — being one of them — understands that. Kane later raved about the “very good vibes around everyone” within this young group.

“[Foligno] was a super-vocal leader and someone who would speak up a ton,” Bedard said. “I don’t think that’s quite who I am as a person. I don’t want to change that. But I’m not never going to say anything. I’m comfortable to say something, even if it’s just something small in intermission or on the bench.”

On the ice, Bedard’s rehab from left shoulder surgery seems to be progressing nicely. He has been skating on his own and doing some light shooting for the last week or two.

“Timeline-wise, I don’t really know,” Bedard said. “[We’ll] see as it progresses. [I’m] feeling good and just doing everything I can to get back as soon as possible. It’s going to be tough not playing the first bit [of the season], but…we’re together so much away from the rink, you don’t feel like you’re isolated.”