NHL Draft: As expected, Connor Bedard goes No. 1 overall to Chicago
Connor Bedard is selected by Chicago with the first overall pick during the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. Credit: Getty Images/Bruce Bennett
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The general assumption in the hockey world for about two years was that Connor Bedard would be the first overall selection in the 2023 NHL Draft.
So, to nobody’s surprise, Chicago picked the still 17-year-old center — projected to be a generational talent — with the No. 1 selection on Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena.
Yet even after Chicago won the NHL Draft Lottery on May 9 — dubbed the “Connor Bedard Sweepstakes” — he refrained from making any assumptions or start looking for apartments in the Windy City.
“I didn’t want to jinx it,” Bedard said. “So I was kind of playing it cool, just doing normal day-to-day stuff.”
Rounds two through seven will be conducted on Thursday.
Bedard, who turns 18 on July 17, had 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 games for Regina (Western Hockey League). Even though it was a foregone conclusion, he said hearing his name as the top overall pick, “an unbelievable feeling.”
“Such a storied organization,” said Bedard, who instantly becomes the face of the Chicago franchise in the post-Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era. “Everything I’ve heard about the city, the people, there is nothing but positive.”
While there was little suspense over Bedard’s selection, Wednesday’s first round did have some surprises.
The Ducks passed on Michigan center Adam Fantilli, who went third to the Blue Jackets, to select Swedish center Leo Carlsson at No. 2. Not that it was much of a reach. Most mock drafts had Fantilli and Carlsson going two-three in some order.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek said he liked Carlsson’s “Hockey IQ and creativity,” plus his 6-3, 198-pound size and ability to play a two-way game.
There were no shocks in the Sharks selecting Team USA Under-18 center William Smith fourth or the Canadiens taking the draft’s top defenseman, David Reinbacher of Switzerland, with the fifth selection.
But the Coyotes, with the No. 6 pick, took Russian defenseman Dmitriy Simashev, who was projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick.
The Flyers then took the draft’s mystery man, Russian right wing Matvei Michkov, at No. 7. Michkov was thought to be the most talented player in the draft other than Bedard. But his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg runs another three seasons, scaring some teams off.
“This is the team I wanted to get drafted by,” Michkov said through a translator. “I met with them twice and, both times, had a very positive feeling.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
