Yesterday, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard celebrated his 19th birthday and in a post on X, the National Hockey League celebrated him by looking back at his achievements as an 18-year-old during his rookie season in 2023-24.
Connor Bedard finished his rookie season with 61 points (22 goals, 39 assists), 28 penalty minutes and was a minus-44 in 68 games. If it wasn't for a broken jaw that caused him to miss 14 games, Bedard very well could have finished with at least 75 points or potentially more.
His 61 points in 2023-24 are the fifth-most by an 18-year-old since the 1988-89 season, only behind Jeff Skinner (63 - 2010-11); Nathan MacKinnon (63 - 2013-14); Patrik Laine (64 - 2016-17) and Sidney Crosby (102 - 2005-06).
Bedard also tied an NHL record during the 2023-24 season for the most points (5) in a single game by an 18-year-old when he put up one goal and four assists against the Anaheim Ducks on March 12th. He joins Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton), Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta), Dale Hawerchuk (Winnipeg) and Jack Hamilton (Toronto) with the most points by in a single game by an 18-year-old in NHL history.
Next season, Bedard will make his much-anticipated Rogers Arena debut when the Chicago Blackhawks travel up to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, November 16th.
Do you think Connor Bedard will reach the 100-point mark in just his second NHL season? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below!
POLL | ||
Do you think Connor Bedard will reach the 100-point mark in just his second NHL season? | ||
Yes | 115 | 48.7 % |
No | 121 | 51.3 % |
List of polls |