Bedard highlights NHLPA Rookie Showcase

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Connor Bedard took his first strides on the ice in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey Tuesday.

Bedard had previously put on a Blackhawks jersey after they selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 28, but this time he was wearing his own jersey, with his name and No. 98 sewn on, along with a full set of hockey pads.

"It's really cool," he said. "I think you wouldn't feel it until a game, but just to be with this organization and city and everything, it's a dream come true. I think for the support we've gotten since the draft and just that team in general, just growing up watching them and seeing kind of their (Stanley Cup) runs was pretty cool. So to put the jersey on is really special."

The whole day was special for Bedard, who took part along with 33 other players in the NHLPA Rookie Showcase at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. The players autographed memorabilia, took part in photo and video shoots on and off the ice for EA Sports, and posed for their first official Upper Deck trading cards.

That last part was a bit surreal for Bedard, who was an avid hockey card collector as a kid. Most of the ones he owned are still sitting in some binders at his parents' home in North Vancouver, British Columbia, including a Wayne Gretzky rookie card.

"I haven't thought about it too much, but I think if I were to open a pack or something and see myself in it, it would be a little crazy," Bedard said. "Growing up I was a big card guy. I loved opening packs and stuff, so I think that would be cool."

Forward prospects Matt Savoie (Buffalo Sabres) and Logan Stankoven (Dallas Stars) also said posing for their first hockey cards was a highlight moment.

"I actually collected cards when I was pretty young, traded them on the bus in elementary school," Savoie said. "To see it kind of come full circle is really cool."

Bedard, though, was in the eye of more than just cameras, with fans trying to chase down the 18-year-old as he got on the bus at a local hotel for the short ride to the Washington Capitals' practice facility.

"It's part of his reality," said Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman prospect Stanislav Svozil, who played with Bedard with Regina of the Western Hockey League last season. "I wasn't surprised. This is what happened after every game in Regina. And then away games too. So, I wasn't surprised."

Bedard is used to the extra attention he garners.

He was granted exceptional player status to play in the WHL as a 15-year-old in 2020-21 and had been considered the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft long before last season. And before he's even made his NHL debut, he's already had his game compared to Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"It's not that crazy here," Bedard said. "You get used to it a little bit. ... It's an event, like (the NHL Scouting) Combine and those sorts of things. It's kind of normal."

Although Bedard is used to the attention, it was a new, and welcomed, experience for some other players.

"I'm probably the only fifth-round pick here," said New York Islanders forward prospect William Dufour, who was selected in the fifth round (No. 152) of the 2020 NHL Draft. "When I was drafted, my agent told me that it's just a number, just a round. Go to training camp, do your personal thing. I keep working, I never give up, and right now, I'm here with all the first rounders, second rounders. So, I'm pretty happy to be here right now."

Montreal Canadiens forward prospect Owen Beck had a similar feeling. He made his NHL debut in a 5-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 28, finishing with 9:48 of ice time after being recalled on an emergency basis from Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League.

Beck was returned to Peterborough after the one game, but he's hoping an event like this will give him that extra confidence to have a longer stay in Montreal this season.

"Being here is kind of something I never thought would happen," he said. "A dream come true seeing yourself on a hockey card. Last night we were opening packs at a little dinner, I actually pulled out one of my own cards. My stomach kind of dropped and I was like, 'Is that actually me?'

"It was pretty cool. To know more of that is coming is pretty neat. Seeing all the guys around here in their full gear and everything, it's cool to see the next generation of NHL players."

NHL.com staff writers William Douglas and Tom Gulitti contributed to this report