The Dallas Stars will get their first look at the NHL’s most heralded rookie when Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks come to town for two games this weekend.
Bedard, the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft who has been compared to the likes of NHL stars like Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, makes his first trip to Dallas as the teams face off for the first time this season, and the Stars feel ready for the challenge.
“I like playing these star-studded guys,” Stars goalie Scott Wedgewood told the media on Friday morning. “Over the course of my career, I’ve played Ovechkin, Crosby, [Connor] McDavid, [Auston] Matthews, and all these elite scorers. I think [that] I think the game at a really high level, and it’s kind of fun when you play those guys because I think what they do is what I would want to do if I was a player (skater) playing the game.”
Bedard has quickly acclimated himself to the NHL level, leading the Blackhawks (and all rookies) with 32 points (15 goals and 17 assists) through the first 34 games of his career. His 15 goals and 17 assists also lead Chicago in those respective categories, and he is one of just two players on the team to have scored at least 10 goals this season — scoring three goals over the club’s last two games and entering the weekend on a five-game point streak.
“He’s obviously proven he’s a talented young kid, but it’s just going to be another hockey game in the grand scheme of things,” Wedgewood added. “… What he does in his career is going to be the big picture. He seems like he’s handling it well, but I’m playing good hockey myself right now.”
Many credit his unique shot for his early success, and he has been even more successful on the road, tallying 18 points (11 goals and seven assists) away from the United Center.
“He’s got such a unique release, and just his ability to change the angle and shoot from all kinds of different spots and still get good velocity on it is really unique,” Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said. “… There’s only a handful of guys in the NHL that can beat goalies from distance anymore. We’ve got one. Jason Robertson the other night did it, but it’s a unique skill.”
“Obviously, he’s a guy that you’re going to play harder [against] and key on and focus on and make sure you know, when he’s out there, where he is and little things like that,” Wedgewood explained. “But I’ve played some talented guys, so it’s another matchup.”
Playing two games in a row at home against the same team is unusual in the NHL, but the Stars welcome the idea as it brings a bit of a playoff atmosphere to their five-game homestand.
“I said, coming out of COVID, that I wish we did more of these,” DeBoer remarked. “From a coaching perspective, it’s great because you can really dial in on one team. I think everyone loves playoff hockey because you can get that, and you also get some of the emotions that can carry over from the game before and things like that that you [usually] don’t get during the regular season.”
The first game between the Stars (20-9-4) and Blackhawks (11-22-1) begins at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, and the teams return to the American Airlines Center for a rematch at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday.
