CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard doesn’t just have a fellow No. 1 pick in Taylor Hall on his team. The 18-year-old forward, who was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, will likely be linemates with Hall as well.
Hall is expected to play left wing on the top line with Bedard at center when the Blackhawks open their regular season at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10. Hall, who was selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, skated with Bedard for the first time at training camp on Saturday after missing the first two days with a lower-body injury.
“I think chemistry is something that you build over the course of time,” said Hall, who was acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins on June 26. “It's one thing to have that in games and you make plays on 2-on-1s and 3-on-2s, but when the game comes, can you make those little plays?
“For [Bedard], he's got the shot, obviously, but I think overall as a player, he makes plays, he sees the ice really well, he makes little plays that keep plays alive, he skates really well. He's kind of the whole package.”
Hall would know a great talent when he sees it. The 31-year-old has played with several No. 1 picks, including Nico Hischier (2017) and Jack Hughes (2019) of the New Jersey Devils, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Nail Yakupov (2012) and Connor McDavid (2015) of the Oilers.
When Hischier was a rookie during the 2017-18 season, Hall set NHL career highs in goals (39), assists (54) and points (93) in 76 games, winning the Hart Trophy as the League’s most valuable player.
“Nico was kind of a blessing for me that year to have a young guy come in and play center and have that youthful speed and that transition game that Nico was really good at. That was great for me,” Hall said.
“I mean, [Bedard] being a right-handed center is always nice. There's not that many of them in the NHL, especially as a lefty for me. In the offensive zone, he can kind of take the right hash, he can take one-timers from there, he can collect pucks in the corner a lot easier on his forehand, and then me and whoever else is on that line, if that's the way it shakes out, we have the other corner, and he can stay free for one-timers and slot shots.”
Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson agreed, saying Hall and Bedard could be “very creative and dangerous.”
“(It’s) the obvious things, the speed and the dynamic skating off the ice, power-play breakouts, the other team turns the puck over, the D gets caught pinching, and those guys, the green light is going to be flashing for them to take off with the puck,” he said.
“Thinking on the same level is going to be huge for Connor to have a guy to rely on, to talk about how he got to that point in the NHL, being the same No. 1 pick overall, and then competing in the League at a high level and becoming the MVP at one point. It’s going to be great to have [Hall] around. Sometimes he’ll be with him, and sometimes he may not, but he’ll always have him to rely on.”
Hall was asked what advice he’d have for Bedard, a question he’s gotten a lot while working with other No. 1 picks in the past.
“It’s important for him, when he leaves the rink, to get away from hockey. Find something to do to take his mind off it,” Hall said. “It’s a long year, and you can’t just think about hockey all the time, especially as you get later on in your career.
“You have to leave the game at the rink, that way when you come back to it, it feels more fresh in your brain. Those are all things I’ve learned as I’ve played.”
If Bedard can do that, Hall believes he will be able to reach all of the expectations surrounding him.
“If he can round his game at center into a guy that’s dependable defensively, and then, obviously, he adds what he adds offensively, he's going to be one of the best players in the League,” Hall said.
“Seeing him around the gym, he knows his way around. He doesn't feel like an 18-year-old, so that's a credit to him. It's a credit to his upbringing. We're all really excited to see what he can do this year and help him along and ultimately get him in the best position possible to help our team.”
