Hockey is indeed a young man’s game. As The NHL gets younger and younger, the skill and speed of the game continue to increase vastly. Among the many youngsters who are part of this “new wave” of hockey players are two rookies who have garnered plenty of attention during the 2023-24 season.
Luke Hughes and Connor Bedard. One defenseman. One Centerman. Two highly skilled rookies who should be prominent players at their respective positions for years to come. But before we get that far, let’s break down their respective rookie campaigns.
Friday night at Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, the Devils and Luke Hughes played host to the Blackhawks and Connor Bedard. The final score of 4-2 in favor of the Devils, was just one of the night’s storylines.
After the Devils’ morning skate, Head Coach Lindy Ruff offered some thoughts on Luke Hughes’ performance thus far this season: “he’s established what he is. You’ve seen the dynamic skating and I think what’s catching people’s eye now is his shot.” (Quote courtesy of NJ Devils’ digital reporter Amanda Stein).
On the other end of the ice, Connor Bedard’s season has netted him a trip to the All-Star Game. In addition to being selected for the game, Bedard is also the youngest player in NHL history to earn such an honor. Prior to the Blackhawks’ tilt against the Devils, Bedard told Chicago reporters: “I’m happy with being announced. With our group, it has been a little frustrating lately with the results of the games. But it’s good to get to go there and meet some of those guys. It should be fun.” (Quote courtesy of Ben Pope from The Chicago Sun-Times).
Heading into Friday night’s game, Bedard was the NHL’s top rookie scorer with 33 points (15G, 18A) on the season. Meanwhile, Hughes was the fourth leading rookie scorer with 22 points (7G, 15A). On top of that, Hughes is also the leading rookie defenseman in points and goals, while being second in assists.
While Bedard is seen by many as the top overall rookie in the NHL, he’s got some impressive numbers to go along with the eye test, Hughes holds an edge over him in several categories. New Jersey’s fleet-footed defender has a time on ice per game average of 19:59, while Chicago’s rookie sensation is at 19:29. Luke also leads Connor in power-play goals (3 to 1) and power-play points (11 to 8). (Hughes leads all rookies in both power-play categories).
Unfortunately, before we could get an extended preview of the two youngsters battling against each other, Brendan Smith – playing forward for the Devils – laid a big hit on Bedard during the midway point of the first period and caused Chicago’s youngster to head off the ice and down the tunnel while clutching his face.
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At the start of the second period, the Blackhawks announced Connor Bedard would not return during the game. After several scrums and big hits, Nick Foligno went after Brendan Smith and the two combatants dropped their gloves in a prolonged fight that riled up the crowd. At one point there were seven players in the penalty boxes – four Blackhawks and three Devils.
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While the game’s extracurriculars became their own story, we haven’t forgotten about our main objective, so let’s continue (and hope Bedard doesn’t have a lasting injury).
Earlier in the season, when Luke Hughes was still finding his way, Brendan Smith sat down with Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News to talk about the Devils’ rookie defenseman.
“In Luke Hughes’ case, he is so highly skilled,” Smith explained. “And the more you do anything, the better you’ll be at it. The sky’s the limit and he’s been very responsive when people are talking about certain plays and whatnot. I think the more he does it, the better he’s going to be, the better his partnerships are going to be, and so on.”
Smith’s assertion about getting better the more you do something has certainly proven true with Luke Hughes, who was named The NHL’s Third Star of The Week for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Hughes has steadily seen his minutes per game increase and has gotten much more comfortable with and without the puck.
Getting back to Bedard, while he missed all but a fraction of the game with a suspected broken jaw (the actual injury diagnosis is unknown as of two hours after the game’s conclusion), there’s no doubt that he too has grown by plenty during this season.
Bedard and Korchinski photo by Sportsology
Darren Pang, who serves as an Analyst on Blackhawks’ television broadcasts took some time to explain what he sees out of Connor Bedard on a nightly basis.
“He is a very competitive person,” Pang said. “He looks in the mirror after every game. He identifies what he did well and what he didn’t do well. That part of being a complete hockey player has really impressed me. He goes to work every day. He’s the last guy off the ice. The coaching staff and the trainers have to drag him off the ice after every practice. He loves the great game of hockey. He works hard at it. He’s a real pro.
“Another thing that’s impressed me about him is his love for the history of the game. He knows what’s happened in the past. He watches the game — was a big fan of the Vancouver Canucks. He still thinks back to some of his days as a young five, six, and seven-year-old, growing up and watching his idols play. And now he is one of those.
“Another thing I’ve really noticed is his attention to detail when it comes to little kids with his sweaters, kids who want his picture. He doesn’t just fly by them. He’s very considerate. He knows he’s representing the great game of hockey in the NHL.
“I think he’s seen a lot of guys before him, like Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky, those guys, they sign autographs, they take pictures, they’re ambassadors of the game. I think at an early age, he’s taken on that responsibility and that’s been incredibly impressive so far.”
It is too early to be mentioning Bedard’s name in the same breath as Crosby and Gretzky but the point is clear. The Blackhawks’ rookie is doing all the right things on and off the ice. And while he’s on the ice, he’s not just doing the “right things;” he’s excelling. The NHL hasn’t seen a rookie season like Bedard’s – from a points-scoring perspective – since Mathew Barzal’s freshman campaign with the Islanders in 2017-18.
Two rookies. One defenseman. One centerman. Both have bright futures in The NHL and will hopefully have plenty of opportunities to battle against each other as their careers progress.
