CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard has faced some of the best players in the NHL during his first month as a rookie.
Unfortunately, the latest anticipated matchup between the No. 1 pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft and another top pick will have to wait. Jack Hughes, chosen by the New Jersey Devils at No. 1 in the 2019 NHL Draft, is out with an upper-body injury when they play the Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; MSGSN, NHLN, NBCSCH, SN, TVAS).
Hughes was injured when he crashed shoulder-first into the end boards at 9:56 of the first period of a 4-1 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Friday and is week to week with the injury. The 22-year-old has 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 10 games, tied with Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson (six goals, 14 assists in 11 games) for the NHL lead.
Bedard has played several fellow No. 1 picks including his idol, Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (2005), Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (2013) and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (2016). The 18-year-old has continually welcomed the challenge.
"Yeah, it's great," Bedard said. "I mean, you look at these guys and the success they've had. You want to be like them."
Bedard scored his fifth goal of the season, had two shots on goal, was 2-for-4 on face-offs and blocked a shot in 16:19 of ice time in a 5-2 win against the Florida Panthers at United Center on Saturday to give him seven points (five goals, two assists) in 10 games. He has a team-leading 30 shots on goal and is averaging 19:25 of ice time per game, third on the Blackhawks behind defensemen Seth Jones (25:21) and Kevin Korchinski (19:42).
With his goal Saturday, Bedard became the fifth Blackhawks player in nearly 80 years to score five goals through his first 10 NHL games, joining Andrew Shaw (2011-12), Jonathan Toews (2007-08), Igor Radulov (from 2002-03 to 2003-04) and Dimitri Nabokov (1997-98). He's the youngest player in team history to have a three-game goal streak, previously held by Jeremy Roenick (19 years, 31 days from Feb. 14-17, 1989).