Blackhawks take Bedard with No. 1 pick; go with speedster Moore with 19th pick

Every draft day is special for fans of the four major American sports.

Fresh blood always seems to equal fresh hope and optimism.

But for anyone associated with the Chicago Blackhawks, the energy surrounding this year's NHL draft has been crackling ever since they won the right to select Connor Bedard.

After all, it's not every day a franchise knows beyond a shadow of a doubt it is about to take a seismic leap forward.

That leap became official when Hawks GM Kyle Davidson stepped to the mic at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday and announced his team was in fact selecting Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick.

"He wants to be great," Davidson told reporters as the first round was winding down. "He takes nothing for granted. He's humble ... (and) he gets it.

"He's gonna put in the work (and) be as good as he can be. And that's really exciting considering how good he already is."

Although Bedard knew which team he'd be going to for more than six weeks, the 17-year-old was still somewhat shellshocked on his big night.

"It's really hard to put into words," said Bedard, who scored 71 goals for the Regina Pats of the WHL last season. "(I grew up) in an era where they were so dominant, so good with all the players they had. Man, it's just incredible looking down and seeing (the sweater) on myself.

"Couldn't be happier and can't wait to get it started."

For the casual fan who may not understand what kind of player is coming to Chicago, we invite you to think big.

As in Michael Jordan big. Walter Payton and Gale Sayers big. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull big. That's the kind of generational talent the Hawks just added.

"His release," the Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon told ESPN, "is one of the best in the world now - at 17."

Perhaps it's unreasonable to put Bedard's name in the same sentence as MJ, Sweetness and four Hawks legends.

Shouldn't we at least see what this kid can do against the best in the world first?

Perhaps.

But there are just too many experts who agree Bedard will immediately become a dominant force.

So what should we expect this season? My guess is Bedard will post the same type of eye-popping numbers Sidney Crosby, Kane, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews did when they were rookies.

• Crosby scored 39 goals and dished out 63 assists for an undermanned Penguins squad.

• Kane scored 21 times and had 51 assists on an up-and-coming Hawks team that just missed the postseason.

• McDavid sat out 37 games of the 2015-16 campaign with an injury but finished with 16 goals and 32 assists.

• Matthews (40G, 29A) was the only one who led his team to a playoff berth as Toronto went 40-27-15.

So assuming Bedard stays healthy, we can expect 35-40 goals and 40-plus assists.

Right?

"I'm not focused on outside expectations," Bedard said. "I'm gonna be focused on teammates, coaches, my family, the staff; and try and win hockey games and try to be the best player I can be."

Fair enough.

As the years go by, we should see 100-plus point campaigns that help produce winning seasons, deep playoff runs and - possibly - another dominant era for the Hawks.

It's no wonder so many fans made the pilgrimage to Nashville and hundreds more joined a watch party at Chicago's Salt Shed to take in the festivities with franchise icons Denis Savard and Steve Larmer.

"Not only did he deliver, he overdelivered," ESPN's Kevin Weekes said when talking of Bedard leading Team Canada to the gold medal in the 2023 World Juniors. "That's the best part of it for me. ... All the great players that have played for Team Canada - he's the all-time scoring leader. That tells you everything.

"(Wayne) Gretzky. (Mario) Lemieux. (Eric) Lindros. (Paul) Kariya. How many names do we need to go down? Connor McDavid. "This guy did things that are historic."

And on Oct. 10 in Pittsburgh - against his idol in Sidney Crosby, no less - Bedard will begin making history for the Hawks.

"Got to make (the team) first," Bedard said. "But that would be unreal. My favorite player growing up and a big idol of mine. If that happens I don't think you could script it any better."

Speed kills:

The Hawks appeared to get tremendous value with their second pick Wednesday at No. 19 overall when they took Oliver Moore out of the U.S. National Development Program. Moore, who is said to be the best skater in the draft, was going inside the top 15 in most mock drafts.

The Minnesota native had a combined 20 goals and 31 assists in 55 games in the USHL the last two seasons.