LATEST | Connor Bedard shows his dominance in his first NHL appearance

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Cooper Godin
September 29, 2023 (9:27)

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The Chicago Blackhawks opened their preseason schedule on Thursday night against their Central Division rivals, the St. Louis Blues, and 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard was in the lineup.

Bedard didn't take long to impress the crowd at the United Center, showing off his deception and and elite puck handling skills during only his second shift of the game.

Despite it only being a preseason game, some young players are nervous in their first appearance in the National Hockey League. But Bedard showed no signs of nervousness and displayed his confidence at several points throughout the game. At one point, even stripping eight-year veteran Colton Parayko of the puck and going in on a breakaway. But unfortunately for Bedard, he couldn't get the puck to settle down and get a clean shot on goal.

The North Vancouver native also appeared on the scoresheet, twice. During the second period, Bedard tallied an assist on Philipp Kurashev's goal and then in overtime, had a sweet feed to Andreas Athanasiou to set up the overtime winner, as can be seen in the video below.

It's going to be interesting to see how Connor Bedard's rookie season in the NHL goes. He's definitely going to be playing big minutes for the Blackhawks and won't be limited at all, which will give him ample opportunities to produce in all situations.

Bedard's first and only trip back to his hometown to take on the Vancouver Canucks this season won't be until January 22, but there's no doubt that it will be a sell out crowd at Rogers Arena.

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