Chicago wins Connor Bedard sweepstakes, capturing No. 1 pick in NHL draft lottery
Jumps 2 spots to earn right to pick Canadian forward, world junior star
Connor Bedard is going to Chicago thanks to a big win in the NHL draft lottery that could alter the future of the storied Original Six franchise.
Chicago won the lottery Monday night for the right to choose Bedard, the league's most anticipated drawing since Connor McDavid in 2015. Bedard as a generational talent has drawn comparisons to McDavid and three-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time playoff MVP Sidney Crosby, whom he idolized growing up.
Chicago will try to get back to hockey's mountaintop with Bedard as the new face of the franchise, replacing departed stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews who combined to help them win the Cup three times from 2010-2015. After committing last year to a full-scale rebuild, this is Chicago' first lottery win since 2007 when they got Kane.
Montreal, which had an 8.5 per cent chance of landing the top pick, will have the highest selection of any Canadian team in this year's draft, to be held June 28 and 29 in Nashville. Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes is confident he can add a "really good hockey player".
"Whether that player becomes a franchise player, I don't know," Hughes said. "It's really difficult to say that, but it's a talented [draft class] and we're confident that we're getting a very talented player at five."
The Vancouver Canucks (11th) and the Calgary Flames (16th) round out the Canadian teams who will select in the top 16. The Ottawa Senators will send their 12th overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes after trading their first-rounder to Arizona for defenceman Jakob Chychrun at the NHL trade deadline in March.
WATCH | Chicago leaps 2 spots to win NHL draft lottery:
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly unveiled a placard featuring Chicago's logo at 8:22 p.m. ET, signifying they were awarded the No. 1 pick and setting off a wild celebration among fans at a watch party. Chicago had the third-highest odds of winning the lottery at 11.5 per cent, behind Anaheim (25.5) and Columbus (13.5).
"I think I just said, 'Wow' because you understand the impact that a first overall pick can have — and having a first overall pick in the right year," Chicago GM Kyle Davidson said at a news conference in Chicago.
League-worst Anaheim won the lottery for the second pick and will get to choose among a trio of talented forwards: Canadian Adam Fantilli, Russian Matvei Michkov and Swede Leo Carlsson.
Columbus is set to pick third, continuing the Blue Jackets' run of lottery losing. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said an on-air slip up revealing his team was picking third "spoiled the moment."
"We're going to get a great player at 3, there's no question about it in my mind," Kekalainen said on a video call with reporters. "Everyone wants to win the lottery, then everything is your control, and obviously everybody's talked about a special player at the top of the rankings. But we're confident that we're going to get a big difference maker at 3."
Long-time presumptive 2023 top pick
Bedard has been the presumptive top pick in the 2023 draft for several years, considered the best prospect available since McDavid, and before that, Crosby.
A native of North Vancouver, B.C., Bedard led all junior players across Canada with 72 goals and 143 points this past season while playing for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. He doesn't turn 18 until July.
In a pre-taped TV interview, Bedard said of his future being determined: "There's different emotions watching, but I think we're all just watching as fans. It's more for the teams."
Davidson, who was not with the team at the time, took over on an interim basis and in spring 2022 got the full-time job.
The front office then decided to bottom out and plunge into a long-term rebuilding process, trading star forwards Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach at the draft last year despite each being under 25. The strategy worked: Chicago lost 56 of 82 games to set up a chance at Bedard.
"No matter where we picked, I think we were going to get a great player," Davidson said. "I don't think it's vindication. It's certainly a nice bonus and a nice surprise to come away with No. 1."
Davidson never said Bedard's name after winning the lottery and alluded only to players at the top of the drafts who were "elite talents" and "NHL-ready." He'll get to announce Bedard's name at the start of the draft June 28 in Nashville, Tenn., which could turn out to be the start of a new chapter for Chicago.
"We have to build a team," Davidson said. "You look back at any Stanley Cup team, they have great players but it's not just one person that wins it."
Order of selection:
- 1. Chicago (11.5 per cent)
- 2. Anaheim Ducks (18.5 per cent)
- 3. Columbus Blue Jackets (13.5 per cent)
- 4. San Jose Sharks (9.5 per cent)
- 5. Montreal Canadiens (8.5 per cent)
- 6, Arizona Coyotes (7.5 per cent)
- 7. Philadelphia Flyers (6.5 per cent)
- 8. Washington Capitals (6.0 per cent)
- 9. Detroit Red Wings (5.0 per cent)
- 10. St. Louis Blues (3.5 per cent)
- 11. Vancouver Canucks (3.0 per cent)
- 12. Arizona Coyotes* (from Ottawa Senators, 2.5 per cent)
- 13. Buffalo Sabres (2.0 per cent)
- 14. Pittsburgh Penguins (1.5 per cent)
- 15. Nashville Predators (0.5 per cent)
- 16. Calgary Flames (0.5 per cent)
* — as an element of a March 21, 2023 trade, Ottawa transfers its first-round pick in the 2023 draft to Arizona.
With files from The Canadian Press
