Connor Bedard Excites Fans as Blackhawks Select Phenom No. 1 in 2023 NHL Draft

The Chicago Blackhawks have officially selected the man that will take them through the next generation.

Chicago selected 17-year-old prospect Connor Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Bedard needed no introduction to the NHL as fans across the globe have been salivating at his potential for the last year, and now that he's finally arrived, the excitement has reached its peak:

Bedard is perhaps the most hyped prospect since the Edmonton Oilers selected Connor McDavid first overall in the 2015 draft, and there's no question that he has the tools to become the NHL's next big thing.

The Canadian began his rise to fame with the Regina Pats when he was granted exceptional status by the Western Hockey League as a 15 year old in 2020-21. He then became the youngest player in league history to score 50 goals when he potted 51 goals in 62 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

During the 2022-23 season with Regina, Bedard amassed an improbable 71 goals and 72 assists for 143 points in 57 games. It was the most points scored by a WHL player since 1995-96.

Bedard has been just as good on the international stage for Team Canada. In 16 world junior championship games, he has tallied 17 goals and 19 assists for 36 points, which ranks fourth on the tournament list behind Hockey Hall of Famers Peter Forsberg (42 points in 14 GP) and Pavel Bure (39 points in 21 GP), in addition to Robert Reichel (40 points in 21 GP).

After finishing the 2022-23 campaign with a 26-49-7 record and missing the playoffs for the third straight season, there is now some hope that Bedard can help the franchise return to prominence within the next few years.

Blackhawks fans are in for a treat as Bedard should help accelerate the franchise's rebuild alongside Taylor Raddysh, Philipp Kurashev and MacKenzie Entwistle. Not to mention it's also huge for Chicago to land this type of prospect immediately after the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era came to a close