Bedard, St. Louis to be reacquainted when Blackhawks visit Canadiens

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Connor Bedard will face a rival coach from his relatively distant past when the Chicago Blackhawks play the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, NBCSCH, TVAS, SN360, CITY, SNE).

“I remember we played him in the semifinals of this big tournament for our age, and we’d just beat them and I asked for a picture, like right after, and I don’t think he was too happy,” the 18-year-old forward said Friday of Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis.

Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and the Blackhawks will play in a home opener as the visitor for the third straight game. He had an assist in his NHL debut in a 4-2 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday, then scored his first goal in a 3-1 loss at the Boston Bruins the following night.

But the rookie might think twice before seeking out another keepsake from St. Louis this time around.

“Oh, he was a talented kid, 10-year-olds,” St. Louis said. “It’s a great tournament. My son was part of it, and I coached against Connor for many years, 10-, 11-, 12-(year-olds), every summer we’d face his team. He was very good then, so I’m not surprised. But time flies. Now he’s in the NHL and I’ve got more grays.”

St. Louis singled out one aspect of his Bedard’s toolkit that sets him apart.

“What stands out is his shot,” St. Louis said. “I know there’s more to it, but that’s what stands out.”

Bedard’s first NHL game in Montreal will also see him go up against Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky in a matchup featuring the past two No. 1 picks in the draft.

“I’m sure it will be awesome,” Bedard said of playing in Montreal. “Everyone says it’s a great place to play; you know, the rink’s pretty electric and obviously really passionate fans. … It’s a pretty special first trip and we’re excited to play [Saturday].”

As for large media contingent that covered Chicago’s practice at the Canadiens’ practice facility Friday, Bedard was perfectly comfortable.

“I’ve been dealing with it for a while,” Bedard said. “I think I’ve gotten better every day with that. I don’t think it’s something that I’m really too focused on. I just want to play hockey and be with my teammates.”

He’s looking comfortable on the ice, too, according to Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson.

“He’s making adjustments on the fly already, where sometimes it takes guys months, maybe years to do that,” Richardson said. “And I think that’s why he’s at an elite level, because he does take information and he wants to be out there in the pressure situations.

“He doesn’t mind this media attention that goes along with it because that’s the way it goes. If you want to be the best, you’re going to have lots of attention, and I think he just knows to roll with that. And on the ice, he seems to really take in everything. I think he’s a hockey nut. I think he loves hockey. I think he watches it all the time.”