Just days after being named the NHL’s youngest-ever All-Star player, Connor Bedard has had his rookie season temporarily iced with a broken jaw.
The Chicago Blackhawks forward, picked first overall in the 2023 draft, went straight to the dressing room after taking an open-ice hit from Brendan Smith of the New Jersey Devils in the first period of Friday night’s game.
The team announced the next day that Bedard had been put on injured reserve with a broken jaw. While there was no official timeline for his return, broken bones tend to keep players off the ice for about six weeks.
Bedard was due to make his All-Star debut Feb. 1-3 in Toronto – the youngest player ever invited to the game. Bedard will be 18 years, 201 days old when the All-Star weekend begins on Feb. 1, 58 days younger than Carolina Hurricanes rookie Jeff Skinner was when he set the previous record in 2011, according to NHL stats.
Through the first 39 games of the season, Bedard has a team-leading 33 points – 15 goals and 18 assists.
Also in question is Bedard’s hometown debut at Rogers Arena on Jan. 22 when the Blackhawks are in town to face Bedard’s childhood favourite Canucks.
