The Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard are seven games into their season. I generally prefer to evaluate trends over 10-game segments, but Bedard’s situation is different with the amount of hype surrounding him and how quickly he is having to adjust to the NHL game.
So far, the length of Bedard's NHL career is equivalent to one playoff series. I think most people would agree that teams, and players, have to make adjustments to their game throughout a seven-game playoff series. So, for that reason, I’ve decided to take a look at what adjustments Bedard is making so far.
TIME ON ICE
Ice time defines how a player is being deployed.
• Bedard is averaging 20 minutes per game, the second most of any player on the Hawks. Seth Jones leads the group, averaging 25:07 per game.
• Bedard is being deployed at even strength (14:52 per game) and on the primary power-play unit (5:07). He does not have a role on the penalty-kill.
• Ryan Donato is second to Bedard amongst the forward group, averaging 18:08 per game.
On the surface, the two-minute difference in average ice time between Bedard and Donato doesn’t appear to be a wide gap. But if we average that out over the course of a full season Bedard would spill over the boards an additional 164 minutes. It’s literally eight more games worth of ice time compared to Donato.
PLAY DRIVER
Bedard entered the league as a widely respected offensive juggernaut. Everyone in the hockey community recognized how talented he was with the puck on his stick.
What’s surprised me most is the amount of respect he is receiving from opponents at this level already. Rarely do rookies have to be game-planned around as much as Bedard. Common thought would suggest veteran NHL defenders would be looking to make life miserable for Bedard by gapping up and playing him tight, especially on zone entries. But that’s not been the case so far. Bedard is driving play in transition through the neutral zone and finding time and space to do what he does best — create high-danger scoring chances.
Here's a couple examples from when Chicago was in Toronto to play the Maple Leafs:
In this clip, Bedard transitions the play from his zone and attacks with speed through the neutral zone. Notice how he doesn’t break stride. He’s attacking at full speed. He recognizes John Klingberg is reaching with his stick and leaning to the middle of the ice. So, Bedard slips the puck under Klingberg's stick and, since Klingberg’s momentum is taking him to the middle lane, Bedard blasts up the dot lane and takes the puck to the net.
This second clip is an excellent view of how a group of NHL players dissect what is happening in front of them as they either go on offence, or position themselves to defend their zone.
It’s really interesting to see how when Bedard starts to attack he recognizes his winger (Donato) as an option to get the puck to. It’s equally interesting to watch Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly survey what is happening off his left side (Donato as an option/part of the play), as partner T.J. Brodie has his eyes set on Bedard.
Bedard decides to attack through the middle of the ice. By this time, both Rielly and Brodie have their eyes on Bedard. The Leafs defencemen respect Bedard’s pace and skill and give up their blue line in the process, so Bedard has a clean zone entry.
The end of the sequence is alarming if I’m a Leafs coach. As the defencemen allow him zone access, Bedard recognizes he is being given space to rip a puck on net from the top of the circle.
More often than not I would expect Bedard to score goals when given this kind of time and space on zone entries.
These two clips are shining examples of Bedard elevating his pace, attacking with speed, backing off defenders, and driving the play to the net.
READ, REACT, DEFEND
At the NHL level, turning pucks over leads to scoring chances against. I know it sounds simple, but mishandling a puck in the neutral zone or firing a shot wide on the opposite side of the ice leads to opportunities for your opponent to score.
In the following sequence, Bedard rotates up high in Montreal's zone and directs a shot on goal against the grain. He misses the net, turns his back (briefly) to the play, and fails to track back with any kind of speed. He looks tired, at the end of a shift possibly, but his read/react/defend game is exposed in this sequence. It’s a teaching point for Bedard.
STARTING WITH THE PUCK
NHL coaches run set plays off faceoffs in all three zones. Winning possession and starting with the puck is important, especially in the defensive zone.
The biggest outlier in Bedard’s game so far has been his struggles in the face-off circle. After seven games he has taken 85 draws and only won 32 of them (38 per cent). He is, however, starting to make some adjustments.
In the following clips, notice how Bedard is changing his strategy taking draws on his forehand side.
In the first clip, Nick Suzuki easily wins the faceoff in the Montreal zone.
In the second clip, Bedard has made an adjustment and decided to pull the puck back off his backhand, even though he is on his forehand side.
In the final clip, from an above view, notice how aggressive Bedard is with his stick and body. He wins the draw with more aggression and better body positioning.
TIME, SPACE, TUCK
Proving that the NHL level is a game of mistakes, here is a clip of Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson getting caught puck watching while a man short in his zone.
The play eventually ends up on Bedard’s stick and the result speaks for itself. It’s an example of the quick strike ability and lethal release Bedard possesses. He beats Vegas goaltender Adin Hill clean to the glove side.
EARLY-SEASON CONCLUSIONS
Bedard definitely represents the next wave of NHL superstars. His pace, vision, deceptive release, compete, and hockey sense are elite. But he’s also learning to adjust to the subtle details required at this level and the realization that NHL players are too skilled to sleep on.
He has to be dialled in all three zones, 100 per cent of the time, or else the puck ends up in the back of the Hawks' net as often as he is tucking them at the other end.
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