Connor Bedard has reached the 100-game NHL mark and, for the most part, has impressed and lived up to the expectations that come with being picked first overall.
Bédard didn’t score in his 100th game, but the Chicago Blackhawks won and the 19-year-old reached the milestone with 29 goals and 87 points.
There are 13 other forwards currently in the NHL who have been selected number one overall and Bédard ranks well against all of these very well-known stars.
Bédard ranks sixth in points in 100 career games among the group that includes:
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Sydney Crosby – 132
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Alex Ovechkin – 128
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Connor McDavid – 108
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Patrick Kane – 96
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Auston Matthews-90
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Connor Bedard – 87
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Nathan MacKinnon – 79
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Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – 74
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Taylor Room – 72
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Steven Stamkos – 70
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John Tavares – 66
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Nico Hischier – 65 years old
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Jack Hughes – 42
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Alexis Lafreniere – 34
Not all forwards ranked number one overall are considered generational talents or have the same expectations as previous picks. Some just don’t start their career as a superstar and it takes time to get comfortable with the NHL, find the right players to play with and develop before they take off.
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MacKinnon and Hughes are legitimate superstars in the league right now and they both started worse than Bédard. Stamkos and Tavares have been elite NHL players throughout their careers and neither stood out in their first 100 games.
It’s only a matter of time before the goals really start coming for Bédard. His shot is very good and with NHL level strength and conditioning, it will only improve significantly over time. He had a 10.7% success rate last season as an 18-year-old and it fell to 8.9% this season.
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Once new shots start, he will shoot more like other experienced NHL snipers. This will lead to more goals and add to his already very good and underrated passing ability.
Bédard is not the only one who continues to improve. The Blackhawks are young and have many other talented young players on the way as well. With better players around him, Chicago will score more and Bédard will naturally be part of this increased success.
It’s interesting to look back at some of the previous number one overall picks and compare them to Bedard, as many of the once highly touted draft picks faced the same pressure and succeeded before him.
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