NASHVILLE — Just for good measure, the likely No. 1 overall pick of the Blackhawks got one more honor before Wednesday’s draft.
This time it comes from the league that many expect Connor Bedard to excel in over the coming years.
On Tuesday night at the annual NHL Honors, the center and likely top draft pick of the Blackhawks was named the recipient of the E.J. McGuire Award. The honor is given to the top prospect in the upcoming draft that shows “commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness, and athleticism.”
The McGuire Award has been given since 2015 by NHL Central Scouting, which also decides who gets the annual honor.
It’s yet another honor for Bedard, who is considered one of the draft’s best prospects in years. A few weeks back, he was named the first recipient of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s 2023 Male Player of the Year after his strong performance with Team Canada in world competition.
Earlier in June, Bedard became the first in the history of the CHL to sweep the major awards, winning Player of the Year, Prospect of the Year, and Top Scorer.
It’s been quite a year for Bedard who started it off by leading Canada to the gold medal in the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships that were held in Halifax & Moncton in late December and early January.
He scored nine goals and had 14 assists in seven games, leading the tournament in scoring and winning the MVP Award.
With the Regina Pats of the WHL, Bedard had 71 goals and 72 assists in 59 regular season games then had ten goals along with ten assists in seven playoff contests.
Suggest a Correction