Connor Bedard isn’t your ordinary NHL rookie. He’s been one of hockey’s most hyped-up players for years and started his NHL career with a bang.
Many think Bedard will dominate the league for years and years to come, but who is he?
Here is everything you need to know about Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard signed a five-year contract worth $75 million with the Chicago Blackhawks on 18 July 2026, ten days after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. The deal carries a $15 million cap hit and runs through 2030-31. Bedard is expected to miss the start of the 2026-27 season.
When will Connor Bedard return from injury?
Bedard hurt his left shoulder on 2 July 2026 while skating with other NHL players in Vancouver, and had surgery on the morning of 8 July. Blackhawks team physician Dr. Michael Terry put the recovery at roughly four months: “This morning, forward Connor Bedard underwent successful surgery to repair his left shoulder. We expect him to make a full recovery in an approximate timeline of four months.”
That timeline points to a return in early-to-mid November 2026. The Blackhawks have not published a target date, and no return has been confirmed. It was Bedard’s second shoulder problem in seven months — he injured his right shoulder on a faceoff against St. Louis on 12 December 2025 and was activated from injured reserve on 9 January 2026, that time without surgery.
What is Connor Bedard’s contract?
| Season | Base salary | Signing bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | $7.2M | $9.8M | $17M |
| 2027-28 | $6.2M | $9.8M | $16M |
| 2028-29 | $5.2M | $9.8M | $15M |
| 2029-30 | $4.2M | $9.8M | $14M |
| 2030-31 | $3.2M | $9.8M | $13M |
| Total | $75M |
According to PuckPedia, the deal is front-loaded, pays a $9.8 million signing bonus every year, and carries a full no-movement clause in the final season. Bedard will be an unrestricted free agent at 25.
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson on the signing: “Connor has continuously defied our expectations since being drafted, and has quickly established himself as an elite player.” Bedard’s own reaction was flatter: “Obviously, it’s a relief and nice to get it done for myself and for the team.”
How much of the salary cap does Connor Bedard take up?
His $15 million cap hit is 14.42% of the NHL’s $104 million ceiling for 2026-27 — close to one seventh of an entire roster’s budget on one player. It is also a jump of almost sixteen times what he cost before: his entry-level contract, signed on his 18th birthday in July 2023, carried a cap hit of $950,000.
How many points has Connor Bedard scored in the NHL?
| Season | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 68 | 22 | 39 | 61 |
| 2024-25 | 82 | 23 | 44 | 67 |
| 2025-26 | 69 | 30 | 45 | 75 |
| Career | 219 | 75 | 128 | 203 |
Bedard won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year for 2023-24, taking 152 of the first-place votes ahead of Brock Faber and Luke Hughes. His points have risen in each of his three seasons, and 2025-26 was his first 30-goal year — reached in 69 games.
What did Connor Bedard do in junior?
Bedard was the first player in WHL history granted exceptional status, approved by a Hockey Canada panel on 26 March 2020 when he was 14. He scored 271 points in 134 games for the Regina Pats across three seasons, including 143 points in 57 games in 2022-23, and went first overall to Chicago in the 2023 draft. When the WHL season was delayed by the pandemic in 2020, he spent part of the year playing junior hockey for HV71 in Sweden.
Is Connor Bedard the Blackhawks captain?
Yes, he was named Chicago Blackhawks captain on September 15, 2026.
How tall is Connor Bedard?
Bedard is listed at 5-foot-10 (178 cm) and 190 lbs (86 kg). He shoots right, plays centre, and was born on 17 July 2005 in North Vancouver, British Columbia. He is 21.
Who are Connor Bedard’s family?
Bedard grew up in North Vancouver with his parents, Tom and Melanie, and his older sister Madisen. His father worked as a tree feller, driving six to eight hours a day between Vancouver and the B.C. interior. Madisen took him to his first-ever skate, and went with him to Sweden during the pandemic season. “My dad is my hero and someone I look up to so much,” Bedard told NHL.com, “and I wouldn’t be anywhere without him, my mom and my sister.”
Who is Connor Bedard’s girlfriend?
Although it’s not confirmed by Connor Bedard himself, rumors of a potential romance with Emma Loken have been circulating. Connor Bedard’s social media popularity is growing each day, and with that, more speculations surround him. Fans have shared videos on TikTok of Bedard and his alleged girlfriend, Emma Loken, with a number of sources indicating that she is Connor’s girlfriend. Still, nothing is officially confirmed by Bedard or Loken, who keeps herself from the public eye with a private Instagram and no account on TikTok.
