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Connor Bedard makes NHL history alongside three other former 1st overall picks
Photo credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
For the first time in NHL history, the scoring race is being led by four players who were once taken with the 1st overall pick in their respective NHL Entry Drafts, and Connor Bedard is one of them.
Never before in NHL history have the top four scoring players all been former first overall picks in their respective NHL Entry Drafts, but that's currently the case in the NHL right now.
Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon, who was taken 1st overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, leads the NHL in total scoring with 33 points (14G, 19) in 19 games played.
Connor McDavid, taken with the first overall pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, has 32 points (9G, 23A) in 22 games.
Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, has 30 points (13 G, 17 A) in 20 games.
And finally, Connor Bedard, the first overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, has 29 points (13 G, 16 A) in 19 games.
Connor Bedard Is Off To The Best Start Of His NHL Career With The Blackhawks
Thanks to the hot start by Bedard, the Blackhawks already have 10 wins, and they are off to their best beginning to a season since 2019-20, the last year that they made the playoffs.
Bedard is already on track to have a new career best in both goals and assists, and in doing so, he could eventually make the Canadian roster for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
He was infamously snubbed for the 4 Nations Faceoff, though Bedard acknowledged that it was because of his slower start last season.
Bedard is also in his first year of wearing the "A" as assistant captain on his sweater.
Previously on Chicago Hockey Insider
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 21 | 145 ANSWERS Connor Bedard makes NHL history alongside three other former 1st overall picks Will Connor Bedard ever be on Nathan MacKinnon's level? | ||
| Yes | 111 | 76.6 % |
| No | 34 | 23.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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