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Connor Bedard will make his NHL debut on Tuesday, wearing a Chicago Blackhawks jersey.
The Blackhawks are set to open their regular season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10.
Bedard, who played for the Regina Pats last season, was drafted first overall by the Blackhawks and is widely considered one of the best hockey prospects of his generation.
Speaking with The Green Zone’s Jamie Nye, Bedard’s mother Melanie said her family hasn’t fully come to terms yet with her son’s NHL career.
“I still don’t think it’s really hit us yet, my husband or Connor’s sister. I guess you know when the puck finally drops. Maybe then, but yeah, it’s all a little bit surreal at the moment,” Bedard shared, adding that the family is “definitely excited” for his first official game.
On Sept. 28, Bedard set up a game-winning goal in overtime during his NHL pre-season debut. Bedard assisted on both goals in the Blackhawks’ 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Despite Bedard’s skyrocketing fame and seemingly limitless potential, Melanie said her family has tried to keep Connor’s life as normal as possible.
“In this world of social media, it’s definitely harder to escape all that noise all the time,” Melanie said.
“We’ve really just tried to keep so much normalcy within our home life (as possible), and Connor has had the same great group of friends since he was so young, and I think it just keeps him grounded. And really, he just loves to play hockey.”
Melanie called her son a “typical 18-year-old,” but acknowledged there can be some pressure surrounding his talent.
“I hope I feel it more than him when I’m watching games,” Melanie said. “We just try not to really focus on that.”
Connor has always loved the game, Melanie told Nye, and said that’s something that continues to surprise her about her son.
“Even when he’s back home, he just wants to be out shooting pucks. And at the club that we’re a part of, where he can go to open ice and just play there-on-three with his buddies, he just really loves it,” she shared.
“Obviously he has goals and aspirations for his hockey career, and that’s part of why he’s working so hard, but I think he really does enjoy it so much.”
— With files from 980 CJME’s Roman Hayter and The Green Zone’s Jamie Nye
