CHICAGO — Blackhawks play-by-play announcer Rick Ball could have gone in any topical direction as the second period of a recent preseason game began.
He chose to share some observations from Connor Bedard, who was among the players on the ice for the faceoff.
“From training camp to now, he’s got a little extra gear, it looks like, this year for No. 98 as he worked on his skating in the offseason — noticeably faster,” Ball told the audience.
Literally three seconds later, Bedard put Ball’s words into action.
The Blackhawks advanced the puck to Andre Burakovsky near center ice, and he only had one wild Minnesota defender in front of him. Bedard saw his opportunity. He quickly built up speed with a few crossovers, lengthened his stride and used the power in his legs to pull away from the surface. In just a few steps, he had blown up two defenders.
All of a sudden, Bedard had created a two-on-one for the Blackhawks, who were moving towards a mini-breakup when Burakovsky passed Bedard through the puck as he entered the zone. He got around the last defender and drove to the net.
“Right on cue,” exclaimed Ball.
Those few seconds felt like more than months. Bedard was unhappy with his speed and quickness in his second NHL season. The league’s Edge data also supported his concerns. Data showed that he skated faster in his rookie season, and in his sophomore year, his top speed of 21.44 miles per hour was below the 50th percentile and his speed broke out more than 20 miles per hour in the 54th percentile.
Bedard’s overall talent could often mask this speed deficiency, as he still produced 23 goals and 44 assists in 82 games at age 19, but he believed there was something more to unlock in his game. After last season ended, he decided he would dedicate his offseason to changing that.
“I think the biggest thing is speed and explosiveness is No. 1 for me,” Bedard said before the Blackhawks’ season finale in April. “That’s always been my big thing. Kind of learning a little bit about my body and how to keep consistency throughout the year and stuff like that. Just try to learn as much as possible. I hope it’s a successful offseason.”
By almost all indications, it was. The NHL doesn’t reveal its edge tracking in preseason, so there are no public metrics to say precisely how fast Bedard skates. But based on the eye test, almost everyone — including Bedard — agrees that it appears more quickly.
“He already looks a lot faster,” said Blackhawks forward Ryan Donato, who played with Bedard more than any other player last season. “It looks like he made a move this summer. Obviously, he’s a kid that his work ethic is unquestioned. It’s every day he works hard and does the right things. He’s a real pro and I think he put a lot of work in and on the right thing and I think it’ll be cool to see those results pay off.
“It’s a tough league, like I said, but he’s obviously already produced, and if he can use the things they worked on this summer and take a step and all that, from what I’ve heard and what I’ve seen, he’ll be dangerous and it’ll be fun to play.”
Since being hired as head coach in May, Jeff Blashill has spent a lot of time watching Bedard’s game and finding ways to take him to another level. He noticed that Bedard looked quicker to start camp, and Blashill heard the same thing from others in the organization who had been around him longer.
“Everyone says he’s definitely faster, definitely more agile, definitely more explosive, definitely more endurance in the changeup,” Blashill said. “All of those things led to him being in situations to get the spots quicker to get open or carry the puck off the ice or pressure and get the puck back. Part of what Connor has been doing this summer too is trying to come up with a game plan to keep someone who probably has to look at work on work… Definitely like the things I see from him.
Bedard said in April that he planned to go about this offseason differently. It started with him turning down an invitation from Team Canada to play in the world championship. As cool as it would have been to play with Sidney Crosby, Nathan Mackinnon and Company, Bedard had a plan and he was going to stick with it. But what Bedard’s actual plan was or what exactly he did this offseason is unknown. When it comes to the media, Bedard doesn’t like to talk about himself, and he especially doesn’t like to share details about his process.
In a recent interview, he was asked variously what he did this offseason to affect his skating and he divulged little. He said he tried “new things in the summer and see what works.” He said he talked to people, got their opinions, then adapted his own methods. When asked if he works with anyone specifically, he said, “I’m kind of like working and figuring out a schedule and stuff for myself.”
Yes, he trained this offseason. Yes, he was satisfied with the training. No, he’s not interested in saying much else.
One thing Bedard was Ready to divulge, he hadn’t changed his crossovers, his stride, or anything specific in his skating mechanics, but put in a lot of work in the gym. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kent Johnson, who trains with Bedard in the Vancouver area, said as much.
“We were doing the same program this summer,” Johnson said. “Not always the same gym, at the same time, but, yes, we did the same program. I don’t want to talk too much about his training, but we are on the same program.
“We push each other and talk about our different (fitness measures) during the summer, our speed, our strength or whatever. But above all speed. We skated like four times a week. A little less.
With age and experience – Bedard turned 20 in July – there also seems to be more intention and clarity in his skating. He drives the game rather than sitting back. In his four preseason games leading up to Tuesday’s season opener, he attacked space, anticipated where he could skate with speed and was more active throughout shifts.
Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno has noticed a change in mentality.
“Even the way he’s peeling off the ice now, he’s on a mission,” Foligno said. “He tells me, ‘This is who I am and I’m going to go show the world. I’m pumped for him.
Bedard, of course, wouldn’t put it in those kinds of words. To hear him speak, he’s just optimistic that this season will be different.
“It’s brief, but I think for me, a big part of it is consistency as well,” Bedard said. “I think last year when I felt good, I was a pretty dynamic player, and then I would have kind of gaps in the season that weren’t as good. … You can’t have your big being great and your bad being really bad, so it’s just finding consistency and understanding what you need to do to feel good most nights.”
So far he has felt good. How he feels over the next 82 games will be what matters.
The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline contributed to this story.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
