Lady luck smiled on the Chicago Blackhawks, who won the first overall pick in the NHL draft lottery. Phenom Connor Bedard is surely heading to the Windy City.
The annual tradition has it that the NHL performs a draft lottery during the spring to determine in which order franchises select prospects on draft night. This year the event will take place in Nashville on June 28 and 29.
What everyone wanted to know was which team would select first overall, given superstar Connor Bedard’s availability,
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Chicago Blackhawks Pick First, Connor Bedard Awaits
And so it was with great anticipation that hockey fans and franchises tuned into the lottery on Monday, May 8. The Blackhawks, Ducks, Sharks, Blue Jackets, Coyotes, and Canadiens all had varyingly respectable odds at landing the number one overall spot.
It was the Chicago Blackhawks that emerged as the lucky winner. Unless there is a wild plot twist awaiting the fanbase in the Windy City, Connor Bedard will be sporting their colours next season.
Bedard is the undisputed favourite prospect for the upcoming draft. This past season with the Regina Pats, the North Vancouverite he tallied 143 points (71 goals and 72 assists). What’s more, he did so in just 57 games. In the most recent IIHF World Junior Championship, he collected 23 points (nine goals and 14 assists), helping Team Canada win the gold medal.
Chicago can use all the help it can get. The glory days of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, deep postseason runs and Cup wins are a speck in the rear-view mirror. The club finished 26-49-7, dead last in the Central Division and tied for the second-fewest points (59) among all 32 NHL squads.
Blackhawks Fans Pounce on Season Tickets
When a generational talent is coming to town, usually that means good business. Such appears to be the case in Chicago.
In the immediate aftermath of the joyous news, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope tweeted that the team had sold $2.5M worth of season tickets in the hour and a half following the announcement of the number one pick. Business is already booming for next year and the current NHL season isn’t even done yet.
