What the Chicago Blackhawks should be thankful for on this year's Thanksgiving

The holidays are special, and for the Blackhawks, they have a special group of youngsters in the lineup.

Nearly three years after Kyle Davidson assumed control, the team has course-corrected from the Stan Bowman-led team.

Connor Bedard was selected 1st overall in 2023 in Nashville and has become the face of the franchise.

His production with the Regina St. Pats in the WHL gave us an idea of what he was capable of, but never to the heights we expected with the Blackhawks team.

In the first two years in the league, he scored 128 points and won a Calder Trophy. Each year, he's worked on improving his game, including the offseason, where he focused on adding size and skating.

An endeavor that has paid off well, as he's dominating the league in 22 games, with 31 points (13-18).

Here's what the Chicago Blackhawks should be thankful for.

While Nick Foligno has been out of the lineup due to an injury, Bedard has assumed a leadership role flawlessly as the newly named alternate captain.

He's proven he's the next generation of Blackhawks hockey, not only production-wise but also in practice, and is capable of being so much more.

We've yet to see his full potential in the NHL, and he is bound to be rewarded for his Herculean efforts of being one of the best players on a bad team (2023-24 and 2024-25).

While we've seen a change in attitude and rank in 2025-26 under Jeff Blashill, who has surprisingly given this team new life.

Are you thankful for Connor Bedard, selected 1st overall in 2023 in Nashville?