NHL preview: can Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard take hockey by storm?

Another NHL season has arrived with no shortage of stories, trends and teams to watch. Will Connor Bedard live up to the hype? And can the Oilers dethrone the Knights?

Four years ago, someone uploaded a highlight reel to YouTube of then-14-year-old Connor Bedard, already then a potential NHL prospect, lighting it up at a spring tournament in British Columbia for the Vancouver Vipers. Commenters mulled his hockey IQ. Was he really that good? I know his passing may be an issue," one wrote after watching Bedard score multiple times. But from this video, a lot of options weren't properly set up. I'd say he's experienced enough to see some people just shouldn't touch the puck." It's worth mentioning that among Bedard's teammates were two players also drafted to the NHL in 2023: Zach Benson (Buffalo Sabres) and Andrew Cristall (Washington Capitals) - that is, guys who should definitely touch the puck. He had someone to pass it to. He just didn't need to.