On a lovely, snowy, day-after-a-late-game Wednesday for Blackhawks fans, I want to share a terrific, highly recommended read from Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille at The Athletic. Especially after the absolute show he put on in Vegas last night, it’s a great perspective on Connor Bedard‘s ascent to the elite tier of NHL superstars this season.
The piece isn’t exclusively about Bedard; Macklin Celebrini and Leo Carlsson are both also on ridiculous paces to have huge, breakout seasons. But the deep dive is worth your time. They look into what each of the three has done to not turn a corner, but sprint up the stairs in the NHL — and how that historically compares to the current generation’s “franchise” players, and when those players saw a significant statistical jump in production into that “elite” tier.
This graphic gives you a very, very surface-level look at some of the other “franchise” players they considered:
Source: The AthleticThat hint toward something special was also evident for Bedard and Celebrini and while each player’s growth differed, the end goal was the same: Turning those dominant flashes into consistent greatness. It’s those types of players who can change the game in more ways than one.
Here’s part of what they wrote about Bedard:
Bedard, coming off a relatively underwhelming second NHL season, had a bit more room for improvement. That’s evident in his skating; he now ranks in the 92nd percentile or better in 18-20 mph bursts, 20-22 mph bursts and 22-plus mph bursts. In the latter two categories, he’s already topped his totals from 2024-25. Physical maturation and improvement, especially for players in their teens or early 20s, count for plenty.
What might be bigger for Bedard, though, is a better understanding of the mental side of the game. He’s got more than two seasons’ worth of NHL games under his belt at this point, the coach said, and it’s easy to see.
“I think a lot of people might say something along the lines of ‘He’s simplified his game.’ I don’t think that’s true,” the coach said. “I think he’s a creative, dynamic offensive mind who’s figured out what’s worked and, more importantly, some stuff that won’t work.
“For elite players that are dominating at their previous level, it’s hard to accept, ‘Hey, you’ve got holes now.’ It took him two years to say, ‘OK, I get it now, and I’m willing to change stuff and adjust my approach.’ For players that are that good, what they need to understand is there are certain things they have to do consistently that will enable them to use their unique ability.”
The scout put it more succinctly: “He went to the well with the s— that worked in juniors. Subsequently, the reason why he’s so much better this year is that he’s learned different dimensions to play the game and different ways to solve problems.”
Luszczyszyn tweeted an individual player card for Bedard (and Celebrini and Carlsson) on Wednesday as well:
Source: Twitter/XWhat’s interesting about this player card graphic is it gives us a “market value” of Bedard’s performance and has some projections into the future. These projections do fluctuate as a player’s performance goes up and down, but I think we’re at a point now where things like this get filed away for when the Blackhawks and Bedard announce his second NHL contract in the coming months.
Again, marvelous read. Recommend you spend a few minutes in it.
"There are other young guys who are 'maybes.' Leo Carlsson, Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard — they're 'for sures.'"— with @domluszczyszyn t.co/ygJ6eCOdkG
— Sean Gentille (@seangentille) December 3, 2025Hence then, the article about must read on connor bedard s leap to superstardom was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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