‘Elite talent’: North Vancouver’s Blackhawks star Connor Bedard puts on show in Calgary

Chicago Blackhawks' Tyler Bertuzzi, centre, celebrates his goal with teammates Andre Burakovsky, left, and Connor Bedard during third period NHL hockey action against the Calgary Flames in Calgary on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Back in one of his favourite road buildings when he was playing junior, Connor Bedard put on quite a show Friday night in Calgary.

The 20-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., scored a goal and had the primary assist on all three other goals as the Chicago Blackhawks cruised to a 4-0 victory over the Calgary Flames.

“I was saying to the guys, ‘I like this rink a lot,’ and they’re like, ‘It’s pretty old,’” said Bedard with a chuckle. “It’s fun because in junior, it was like the coolest thing. You’re playing in an NHL rink, your pre-game skate is in an NHL rink, so you still feel that a little bit.”

Back then when he was taking to the ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome, Bedard was playing for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. Now he’s a rising star in the NHL and Friday was a showcase of all the traits that make him an elite talent.

On a torrid seven-game point streak (6-9-15) that has Bedard up to 22 points on the season, the 2023 first-overall pick moved into second in league scoring, one point back of 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s so early. I think for me, it’s just to keep growing my game, keep trying to get better in every area and hopefully points keep coming,” said Bedard.

“What he’s done all season long is he has played a complete game, and that’s where I think his growth has been awesome,” added coach Jeff Blashill. “He’s playing winning hockey. I’ve asked him, and like all our guys, to play winning-type hockey, and he’s led the way with that.”

Tyler Bertuzzi, with a pair of goals, and Andre Burakovsky also scored for Chicago (7-5-3). Spencer Knight had 33 stops for his first shutout of the season.

This is Blashill’s first year behind the Chicago bench.

“I didn’t know him coming in. I didn’t know him as a person. I knew him a bit as a player. I was impressed with what I saw on tape. I knew that he was really good from the blue line in,” said Blashill of Bedard. “When I first sat down and met with him this summer, I was super impressed with him as a person.

“I was super impressed with some of the things he said to me, just looking at the previous two years and the areas where he could have been better, and I was super impressed with his attitude, and he’s come in and done a great job, so it’s been fun. He’s obviously an elite talent, and he’s playing at a high, high level.”

Bedard’s instincts stand out most to Bertuzzi, who has eight goals on the season.

“I just go to the net and I let him do his thing,” said Bertuzzi, who buried a perfect pass from Bedard 1:11 into the third to give Chicago a 2-0 lead. “He knows where I’ll be. I’ll try to get him the puck and give him some space to move around and create offence.”

Bedard capped off his night with a highlight-reel breakaway goal after stealing the puck from Morgan Frost.

“Defensive first right now, and then he can create his offence and that showed on that last goal,” said Bertuzzi. “Just being in the right spot, picking a guy off, and obviously his skill took over.”

Knight, who stares down Bedard every practice, highlighted his teammate’s vision.

“He’s a really smart player. I think everyone sees his shot, and the skill, but he’s a very intelligent player, the way he thinks the game, his vision is a very underrated aspect of his game,” said Knight. “That just ties in well with his whole game in general and it just gives him so many different ways to attack the offensive zone.”

On pace for 120 points, Bedard could blow away the career-best 67 he posted last season.

“Everyone has a contribution in it,” he said.

”I’m playing with great players that are making the game easy on me. Sometimes the points come, sometimes they don’t and for me, it’s just about the process and getting chances, making plays and that’s when they come.

“There’s going to be games where I don’t get any and there’s going to be stretches where I don’t get any, but I just keep trying to make plays and be productive in that way and hopefully they come.”

This report by Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press, was first published Nov. 7, 2025.