#nhl #hockey #nhldraft #chicagoblackhawks
Connor Bedard is the most hyped NHL prospect since Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby. Despite being the slam dunk number 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft.. there still seems to be a crowd out there that believes his height & weight may hinder his game at the NHL level. In this video, we break down the challenges he will face in the NHL & how well his game should translate to the big leagues.
Thank you to our Sponsor Hockey Training:
Check out Hockey Training here!
Hockey Training YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/hockeytraining
Hockey Training Shop: https://shop.hockeytraining.com/
Music brought to you by blaowry
Follow him on ⏩
https://www.instagram.com/blaowry/
https://youtube.com/channel/UCeHAyP3nx4LWPArr9Mca0nQ
https://www.beatstars.com/blaowry
NHL draft Chicago Blackhawks hockey nhl trades Connor bedard drafted
47 Comments
The NHL gets softer every year. He'll be fine.
Toe Drag Release!
moving to Illinois few months can't wait to see this kid in action
I’m thinking 40 goals and 90 points in his first season
You can't hit what you can't catch. But his size will not be a plus. Every D-man in the league will want a chance.
Martin St-Louis, 5'8" 180 pounds won 2 Art Ross trophies and 1 Stanley Cup and that was in the years where hooking wasn't a penalty! So at 5'10" Bedard will amaze you! Hey if Chicago thinks he's too small send him to Montreal we love small players here!!!
Paul Bure, and Kariya were amazing small players oh yeah and St. Louis who’s 5’8”and another great small player
i think he gets 35 goals 25 assists and the hawks get 6th in the central
Not to be pedantic but Kane was actually 5'9.5" 162lbs when he was drafted.
I get the arguments in this video that size won't be an issue for Connor Bedard.
However, here's my thought on small players:
• When adked if he remembers NOT being the best player, Eric Lindros answered that he was on a team of guys who physically matured early
• in 1981, Dale Hawerchuk and Ron Francis were 5'11" and drafted 1st and 5th respectively (maybe Francis was taken 4th or 7th, Jim Benning was taken 6th).Dale Hawerchuk won the Calder Trophy and became the youngest player to score 100 points while Ron Francis was the second best rookie. But Ron Francis suffered a sophomore jinxa and never came out of it for 2 seasons. When he finally started living up to his projections, he was 6'1, a full 2 inches taller than when he was 18. He had to grow into his body! Although Hawerchuk at the end of his career was ahead in career points, Francis continued playing, finished 10th in league scoring at the age of 37!
My point is that a little guy may have matured earlier than the big guy. His coordination, strength and timing may have come to him sooner while a taller, lankier 18-year old boy has yet to fill out and have his coordination come to him.
I'm wondering if Connor Bedard will physically improve or has he reached his maximum level and his only improvement will be experience. If he is to succeed, I suspect that he is head and shoulders above the next best guys who are bigger but he will have to be sooooooo good that the gap between him and a still maturing big guy will only be narrowed but not closed.
Am I making sense here? Size doesn't really matter at age 25 but at 18 the little guy might have stoped growing and physically developing sooner than his contemporaries.
he’s 17 years old and could grow too a bit
all i need to see is that release, theres no way he doesn't have success with that alone.
I like the video! I will add that when the NHL started enforcing obstruction in the early 2000's, it became a lot easier for smaller skill players. I don't know that the general attitude in hockey has adjusted all the way from the 70-90's big body/fight hockey.
That being said, I've heard that it is an advantage to have a bigger center.. Why is that? Is there a chance Bedard would be better off on the wing? Honest questions
And for the playoffs.. The Hawks can add a lot more talent, and still tank with bad goaltending. They might ride Mzarek for another high pick next year.
For the record. There was a guy named Gretzky back in 1980 who was considered too small and weak to be able to score in the NHL. Many said it. You know who you are……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-3DbP3PDW4&ab_channel=ConnorBedard
Hey, young guy making this video…
There was once this guy who everyone said was also too small for the league, but he made it work pretty well. His name was, Wayne Gretzky. The truth is that none of us except time can tell who is gonna rock the league.
I don’t think he’s done growing
He would be too small if he weren’t a goddamn wizard on the ice.
It isn't the kids size that bothers me. Putting up numbers like he has is great, but he's about to step into the real world. He will not be playing against 16 year old kids. The NHL is a league of grown physical specimens. He has skill, sure. I just don't see him coming anywhere close to those numbers in the NHL. I'm going to put him at 15-20 goals and maybe 40 assists this year. 60 points for all the hype around this kid? Not what I see as "generational"
patrick kane is not better than mike modano
He just has to learn how to use it to his advantage!
Everyone thought Cliff Ronning and Wayne Gretzky weren’t suitable for the tough NHL.
Didn't we hear the same about Gretzky? They SAY he is 6 feet. Ever seen him in person? he wouldn't be the biggest player on the US WOMEN'S team. Just the greatest player ever. And Crosby is smaller than most of the league too. let's not call him the next McDavid yet, but let's not call him the next Nail Yakupov either. Wait till… 2026? Jack Hughes is another little guy who didn't look great his first 3 years. Looked better this one.
Just like theo fleury, Marty st Luis, Dennis Savard, speed and skill is the x factor watch and weep haters
He will not lead the hawks to the playoffs in his first at Chicago as the current team there is not good enough to help him get there. There is not enough key players in place to make that happen. Patrick Kane did not win the Stanley Cup himself. Jonathan Toews was a a huge reason they won those cups. I am so sick of everyone attributing those cups to Patrick Kane leading them which is completely untrue without Jonathan Toews he would not have won those cups! Patrick Kane did nothing for them since Jonathan Toews’ suffering from long Covid 19 symptoms. If Patrick is as great as you all insist why did he not shine during Jonathan’s health crisis. It would have been the perfect opportunity for him to lead them but this didn’t happen. Hockey is a team sport no one player can get a team to win a Stanley Cup without all the other team members contributions. The Blackhawks had Duncan Keith, Seabrook, Toews and Kane as well as a great goalie to make it all happen.
As someone who lives in mtl and a fan of hockey…The habs had 0 bisness in the finals lol look how they played since😂
That’s about as outrageous a statement as saying Tage Thompson is too big to play hockey.
I heard this about Jack Hughes too. We all see how wrong the haters were about that one
The Calgary Flames called Martin St. Louis too small for the NHL and it's one of the things that cost them a Stanley Cup 🤷
And he's 2 inches shorter than Bedard.
Who is fit. And I don't mean draft pick fit. I mean NHL forward fit. Guy's been training to become a pro athlete for like 6 years. His conditioning isn't comparable to a Zach Benson or Brayden Yager, who played in his division and played decently against Bedard. But Bedard still averaged 2 points / game against their lines 🤷
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bedard have a few seasons of learning curve while Chicago builds their young core.
BUT with the moves the Hawks have made, I also wouldn't be surprised for him to have a hot start and Chicago to dramatically improve.
It wouldn't be hard.. this season and last combined, Chicago was HORRIBLE.
The arguments for the Ducks and Columbus getting screwed out of drafting Bedard fall a bit flat when you look at how much better both teams were last season.
15 years ago his size would matter more then it does now
Instead of watching the video, just compare Bedard's height and weight to that of Patrick Kane, and you'll have your answer.
Wish Anaheim or Columbus would have got him.
Hurry somebody tell him Sidney Crosby is 5’11 and one of the best players in the nhl lol, berate is an inch shorter bro
He will be the next lafreniere
There are MUCH smaller players in the NHL right now. He's only 18. He'll be close to Crosby for height and weight as he grows. 6' ft 200 lbs. He is obsessed with his game. He just can't lose. He'll be an all time great 20 years down the road.
im going to say this now and people wont like what im saying but hear me out first.
Bedard isnt good enough, why easy, his points are over inflated due to playing KIDS JUNIOR hockey, points are over by about 100 atleast, there was NO junior D men in his leagues good enough to hold anything even half against him and Goalies where all sub par.
people are laughing at the Europeans bieng picked as high as they are BUT those players played MENS LEAGUE in top leagues 2nd n 3rd only to the NHL, the NL in Switzerland is TOP level outside the NHL and next comes the SHL, then KHL. 2nd and 5th picks for instance have put up SOLID points against Adult players teams done top jobs at 17/18 years old in MENS hockey noy juniors but Mens, against solid Forwards and Goalies.
Bedard played against Kids. people said before the draft wright would be another McDavid n stuff and he isnt even worth and NHL shirt, AHL at best he is far from good enough and thats before you talk about his poor attitude. Bedard didnt want to play int he worlds as he knew playing for Team Canada he would get exposed even though he was offered to play many times he said no.
see tables are turning and your NA fans think that uyour Junior leagues are the best for the Youth when now they are not, and agents are slowly starting to get good players a team in europe regardless of league quality to get the time on against against bigger bodies, its Why players like Mason McTavish went back to Switzerland instead of another year in Juniors to get that Experience and it helped him in his 2nd year after draft and now look at last season the difference.
im not a hater of bedard he has legit skills but your hold your juniors to a way higher standard than you should in todays world, see 15 years ago your juniors where better than most around the world BUT the worlds caught you up and now producing more talent and its shows int he Numbers of NONE NA players and the increased amount. used to be like 20% now its like 32%.
Junior points dont mean shit when you are playing big boy hockey and only once in a generation talent like WG or CM or JJ or ML are exceptions for greatness. love Bedard but he wont last a full seson before he is sent out on loan or down and in the games he gets he will struggle and when he gets lit up the Blackhawks have nobody who will stand up for him
One game at a time
Try your best
So at 5’10” he’s 2 inches shorter than the average NHL player at 6 feet.. He has 70 out of the 72 inches, not too far off give him a break yall 😂
There are no players "too small" anymore…15-20 years ago, yes – Small guys were few and far between. But, since the NHL has virtually taken most of the contact out of the sport and transitioned to a more "finesse" game, being small is no longer an issue.
Too small?? Have you seen how fast his skates and how long and hard his shots are??
Is this video just a Joke? Cuz I remember all the knocks on Kane at the 2007 Draft about being too small and how he may not be as successful, etc…and Dale Tallon was like, "Um, yea, sure. Ok he is too small, let us worry about that…and he now he is the best US Born Player in NHL History. Kane was the player that began the trend of smaller highly skilled players being selected earlier and earlier in the Draft and today there are so many players that are the same size as Kaner that are Stars. Lmao, and hasn't anyone ever heard the saying that "You never underestimate the small guy cuz he is the one thats gonna kick your A$$" and I have seen this not only in civilian life but also while serving in the US Army. They have nothing to prove yet will do everything to prove that they are not only just as good as you, but that they are better. Love seeing stuff like this…I'm still just perma-grinning about how not only did we get Bedard, but Davidson was trying to move up from that 19th spot and couldn't…and come to find out that it was because he wanted to draft Moore and he fell to us and we didn't give up anything. Fastest skater in the Draft (saw some say even faster than MacDavid) and it is not just the speed, it is being that fast and being able to still pass, shoot, control the puck, etc. Scouts had him ranked at #8.
Kane, Marchand, Zuccarello, Caufield, Fleury, St. Louis, Dionne, Cournoyer, Bower, Worsley…etc.
Talk is cheap!
Kane was smallish like Bedard with one huge difference- Kane was a blur. And a superb skater. Bedard is a choppy skater and chunky. Sadly…..He will be a bust like Pat Falloon.
Average NHL player is not 6' feet. It is 6' 1 & 204 pounds. That's very different than Bedard who is closer to 5' 9 180 lbs. He will be man handled. I do wish him well but I just dont see it.
As a Chicago fan, finally something to look forward to.