Bedard enjoys 'unreal' 1st week in Chicago with Blackhawks prospects

CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard enjoyed this week in the city he'll call his new home in a few months, from the architecture to the sporting events to the restaurants.

"The food was even better than I thought," said Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft by the Blackhawks last week in Nashville. "I knew it was going to be really good, but it was unreal. That was something I was really surprised by for sure."

Bedard, who is Chicago's first No. 1 pick since Patrick Kane in 2007, wrapped up his final day at their development camp at the Blackhawks' practice facility Thursday. The camp was off ice this season, a new concept for the Blackhawks and one that Bedard, a rink rat, had to get used to a bit.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty long time, maybe the longest in my life," Bedard said of not skating the past several days. "No, but it was a good week and they had good reasons for it, of course. I really enjoyed the week."

Though Blackhawks fans couldn't watch Bedard take part in hockey-related activities, they may have seen him around town. Bedard and fellow prospects did a variety of activities, from taking an architecture boat tour to fine dining -- Bedard's favorite was getting steak and pasta at Gibson's Italia on Wednesday -- to going to a Chicago Cubs game, where he threw out the first pitch and talked with some of the baseball players.

"I think just more kind of raving about the fans and the city and everything," Bedard said about conversations with the Cubs. "I think it was all positivity. Hearing that from them, they've obviously been in the spotlight in Chicago for a while. Just hearing how much they love it was really cool."

His favorite event, however, was playing ball hockey with the Jordan Boys and Girls Club, a partner in the Blackhawks' foundation.

"We played a little floor hockey and got to talk to them and see their excitement when we came. It was pretty cool," he said.

Bedard led the Western Hockey League in goals (71), points (143), shots on goal (360), points per game (2.51) and goals per game (1.24) in 57 regular-season games with Regina last season. He also tied for the WHL lead in assists (72) and game-winning goals (11).

The 17-year-old is already being touted as the next Connor McDavid and is expected to help the Blackhawks expedite their rebuild and get back to winning hockey. Chicago, which won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, has been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs three times since that last Cup win (2016, 2017 and 2020), but didn't advance past the first round.

While Bedard and prospects were doing a good amount of work in this development camp, including boxing classes and strength workouts, there was a more relaxed feel in this trip to Chicago.

That will change when Bedard returns in September for training camp. But he didn't want to get too ahead of things, not even about decompressing once he headed back to native North Vancouver.

"It's all pretty cool stuff. I don't want to be wishing that it's ending or everything, kind of only get that draft moment once," he said.

Still, his first NHL season looms. Bedard had a good time in his first trip as an adult to Chicago -- he barely remembers a trip here as a kid. The next time Bedard is here, it'll be for real.

"I think just kind of get back to work (when I get home)," Bedard said. "I'm going to do everything I can this summer, for the rest of the summer, to improve myself and try to make the leap."