Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is a Canadian centre for the Chicago Blackhawks, born on 17 July 2005 in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Chicago took Bedard first overall at the 2023 NHL Draft on 28 June, 19 days before his 18th birthday, and Bedard signed an entry-level contract on that birthday. Bedard was named the 37th captain in Blackhawks history on 15 September 2026.

When Connor Bedard was born, and how young he was at the 2023 draft

Connor Bedard was born on 17 July 2005 in North Vancouver, British Columbia. Chicago took Bedard first overall on 28 June 2023, 19 days before his 18th birthday, and Bedard signed a three-year entry-level contract carrying a 950,000 dollar cap hit on that birthday. Bedard arrived early: a Hockey Canada panel granted exceptional status on 26 March 2020, making Bedard the first player in WHL history cleared to enter major junior a season ahead of the normal age. Bedard then scored 271 points in 134 games for the Regina Pats.

Why Connor Bedard wears No. 98

Connor Bedard wears No. 98 and was the first player in Chicago Blackhawks history to do so, handed the jersey on the draft floor in Nashville on 28 June 2023. The NHL retired No. 99 league wide for Wayne Gretzky at the 2000 All-Star Game, so no player may take it, and No. 97 has belonged to Connor McDavid in Edmonton since 2015. Neither Bedard nor the Blackhawks have published a single origin story for the choice, which is worth stating plainly because several sites invent one. What is documented is that Bedard has worn 98 from the first NHL game onward.

What happened with Connor Bedard's helmet in his first NHL warmup?

Connor Bedard skated the traditional rookie lap without a helmet before his NHL debut at Pittsburgh on 10 October 2023, alongside fellow Chicago rookie Kevin Korchinski. NHL Rule 9.6 requires a helmet in warmups from every player who entered the league in 2019-20 or later, and the stated penalty is a 2,500 dollar fine. That lap is why searches pairing Bedard with helmets keep running, and the answer is narrow: it was ceremonial, not a habit. We set out the rule and the fine in the warmup helmet rule Bedard broke on debut night.

Is Connor Bedard good, and what has Bedard won?

Connor Bedard won the Calder Memorial Trophy for 2023-24 after 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, and the point total rose in each of the first three NHL seasons, from 61 to 67 to 75. The 2025-26 season was Bedard's first with 30 goals. Chicago named Bedard the 37th captain in franchise history on 15 September 2026, the second youngest the club has appointed, and signed Bedard to a five-year contract worth 75 million dollars on 18 July 2026, which we break down in Bedard's 75 million dollar deal with Chicago. At the 2023 World Juniors Bedard was named most valuable player and best forward.

What does Connor Bedard's diet look like?

The detail that travels fastest is that he had not eaten fast food at all. His mother, Melanie, said as much to NHL.com in March 2023, adding that he would get around to it eventually but had not been to McDonald's yet. She described a rotation rather than a plan: chicken, rice, vegetables, shrimp, mashed yams, salmon, repeated around game days, which she linked to his awareness of how different foods made him feel. The story reached a wider audience on a 2023 broadcast, and Wayne Gretzky's reaction to it says plenty about how much the job has changed.