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Post by galaxytrash on Jul 18, 2024 0:36:51 GMT -6
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcNiupgBh1MAFter watching this, I'm ready to believe that Connor Bedard could score 50-60 goals in his rookie year. PS-sorry about the ads....just click through em. the top 5 shooting percentages via wrist shots. (minimum 100 wrist shots taken) connor mcdavid 27.3% jared mccann 20.5% alex tuch 20.5% brayden point 20.3% brandon hagel 20.0% (this was originally going to be a top 3 list but i had to make it a top 5 when i saw hagel's name there)
i'm hesitant to make such a bold prediction about CB, but i wouldn't doubt his wrist shot shooting percentage approaches mcdavid-like numbers. and i think i've said it somewhere here before...it's uncanny how many of his shots find their way through traffic. good call, dummy. bedard's scoring percentage on wrist shots was just 7.4%, scoring 10 times on 136 shots. top 5 in the league last season (minimum 100 wrist shots taken). reinhart 22.3% pettersen 18.4% matthews 18.1% hagel 18% point 17.9% mcdavid finished a ways back at 11.5%. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Jul 18, 2024 2:05:24 GMT -6
breaking bedard's 54 game season into 3 sections... his first 18 games he took 201 draws and won 38.8%. his next 18 games he took 120 draws and won 42.5%. his last 18 games he has taken 132 draws and won 37.9%. last 14 games of his season he took 79 draws and won 35.4%. he finished the season winning 38.9% i was really hoping we'd see an improvement as the season went on. despite being 2nd in faceoffs taken on the team (532 total draws, second to dickinson's 1236), he took just 16 on the PP. foligno took the most PP faceoffs with 150. |
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Post by T-man2010 on Jul 18, 2024 6:16:46 GMT -6
breaking bedard's 54 game season into 3 sections... his first 18 games he took 201 draws and won 38.8%. his next 18 games he took 120 draws and won 42.5%. his last 18 games he has taken 132 draws and won 37.9%. last 14 games of his season he took 79 draws and won 35.4%. he finished the season winning 38.9% i was really hoping we'd see an improvement as the season went on. despite being 2nd in faceoffs taken on the team (532 total draws, second to dickinson's 1236), he took just 16 on the PP. foligno took the most PP faceoffs with 150. He did get better in the mid 18 game stretch, but then the injury happens and he loses what momentum he gained. I also mentioned long ago he needs to build upper body strength for faceoffs and lower strength for a faster burst when skating. He doesn't have that 1st quick step like McDavid or Mackinnon. He can learn and work on that with the right coach. I was shot down with that take early on here. But I still stand by that. |
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Post by vadarx on Jul 18, 2024 12:22:53 GMT -6
last 14 games of his season he took 79 draws and won 35.4%. he finished the season winning 38.9% i was really hoping we'd see an improvement as the season went on. despite being 2nd in faceoffs taken on the team (532 total draws, second to dickinson's 1236), he took just 16 on the PP. foligno took the most PP faceoffs with 150. He did get better in the mid 18 game stretch, but then the injury happens and he loses what momentum he gained. I also mentioned long ago he needs to build upper body strength for faceoffs and lower strength for a faster burst when skating. He doesn't have that 1st quick step like McDavid or Mackinnon. He can learn and work on that with the right coach. I was shot down with that take early on here. But I still stand by that. I dunno who shot ya down, but I agree on both counts. luckily he is still a teenager, lol. |
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Post by hawkfaninpdx on Jul 18, 2024 12:37:03 GMT -6
He did get better in the mid 18 game stretch, but then the injury happens and he loses what momentum he gained. I also mentioned long ago he needs to build upper body strength for faceoffs and lower strength for a faster burst when skating. He doesn't have that 1st quick step like McDavid or Mackinnon. He can learn and work on that with the right coach. I was shot down with that take early on here. But I still stand by that. I dunno who shot ya down, but I agree on both counts. luckily he is still a teenager, lol. I am willing to take even more flack: Bedard may become a huge star in this league; and I am certainly hoping that he will. It's not yet a given. |
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Post by bigbarn27 on Jul 18, 2024 12:57:20 GMT -6
last 14 games of his season he took 79 draws and won 35.4%. he finished the season winning 38.9% i was really hoping we'd see an improvement as the season went on. despite being 2nd in faceoffs taken on the team (532 total draws, second to dickinson's 1236), he took just 16 on the PP. foligno took the most PP faceoffs with 150. He did get better in the mid 18 game stretch, but then the injury happens and he loses what momentum he gained. I also mentioned long ago he needs to build upper body strength for faceoffs and lower strength for a faster burst when skating. He doesn't have that 1st quick step like McDavid or Mackinnon. He can learn and work on that with the right coach. I was shot down with that take early on here. But I still stand by that. Agree but he has a better shot than either he just might not be able to enter O zone like those 2. But they got some burners coming that should be able to do that. |
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Post by Nikos on Jul 25, 2024 21:16:02 GMT -6
No surprise Hawks visit Vancouver on Saturday, November 16th and once single game tickets went on sale, sold out very quickly for Bedard's return to his hometown. Bedard was not able to play last year in Vancouver due to injury.
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Aug 18, 2024 21:52:17 GMT -6
Bedard is a gym rat and a true student of the game. The Bedard effect will impact most, if not all that play and train with him.
Hall mentioned changing his shot, maybe it's because of Bedard. Other players will probably change their shots too and pick up things that work for them.
But his work ethic is rare and that'll push other players, especially guys with high motors, and KD has drafted a lot of them. It's gonna be fun watching these young men grow together, like 19 & 88.
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 5, 2024 0:05:47 GMT -6
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Post by BigT on Sept 5, 2024 5:44:13 GMT -6
I’ve heard those comparisons quite a few times. Even JayZ has said that. I think the thought on Bedard is this. Crosby and McDavid both got to the 100 point plateau in their sophomore season. Other reasons are that he’s got a year under his belt. He’s older and a bit wiser. But most of all, he actually has an NHL roster around him.
I’ve heard many say Bedard should be with Kurashev again. I say absolutely not. He’s a decent 3rd liner on a good team. Maybe he plays with Bert and Hall? Or Bert and TT? But nonetheless he should not be with future 3rd liners.
With NHL players now, he’ll probably come close to the century mark, if not surpass it!!!
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Post by ebonyraptor on Sept 5, 2024 6:18:44 GMT -6
I agree with you that 40/60/100 is a bit on the heavy side - mainly because Bedard does not have the skating speed that Crosby and McDavid had in their sophomore seasons that helped propel them to 100+ seasons - he has enough speed in every other aspect of the game most notably in mental processing - but his "get from point-A to point-B" limits him from making certain types of plays. He listed improving his speed as an area to improve this offseason so it will be interesting to see if he's gotten faster. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 5, 2024 6:42:27 GMT -6
I’ve heard those comparisons quite a few times. Even JayZ has said that. I think the thought on Bedard is this. Crosby and McDavid both got to the 100 point plateau in their sophomore season. Other reasons are that he’s got a year under his belt. He’s older and a bit wiser. But most of all, he actually has an NHL roster around him. I’ve heard many say Bedard should be with Kurashev again. I say absolutely not. He’s a decent 3rd liner on a good team. Maybe he plays with Bert and Hall? Or Bert and TT? But nonetheless he should not be with future 3rd liners. With NHL players now, he’ll probably come close to the century mark, if not surpass it!!! mcdavid's oilers finished with 103 points in his sophomore year, while sid's pens had 105 points in his. i'll be the first to say you were right if you are right. i'll be tickled to. i do think bedard has a shot but i still think this team struggles to hit 80 points, never mind 100+. bedard's supporting cast just isn't the same caliber as sid's or mcdavid's. bedard averaged .90 points a game in his rookie year. to hit 100 points, he'd need 1.22 points/game (assuming he plays all 82). if my math is correct that's just short of a 36% increase in points/ game production. yeah...he's a year older and wiser with a better team around him but it's still a tall order imho. if bedard hit's 1.22 points a game but only plays like 60 or 70 games...i'll give you the win anyways. but keep in mind that 1.22 points/game would've put him 12th in the league last year (minimum 50 games played). i don't think he can put up those numbers on this team. |
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Post by T-man2010 on Sept 5, 2024 15:15:58 GMT -6
I agree with you that 40/60/100 is a bit on the heavy side - mainly because Bedard does not have the skating speed that Crosby and McDavid had in their sophomore seasons that helped propel them to 100+ seasons - he has enough speed in every other aspect of the game most notably in mental processing - but his "get from point-A to point-B" limits him from making certain types of plays. He listed improving his speed as an area to improve this offseason so it will be interesting to see if he's gotten faster. I said a few pages back that I thought CB needed to work on 2 aspects of his game. First 2-3 steps for speed and arm/wrist strength for Faceoffs. |
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Post by Nikos on Sept 5, 2024 20:11:43 GMT -6
I know in the around the league other team news thread much discussion about Draisaitl extension, cap hit, NMC and impact on the team's overall cap with McDavid due for an extension next year. Bedard figures to get an 8-year extension after this coming season at age 20. Fast forward when he is 28 another 8-year extension. Any guesses on what the (2) extensions will look like? No doubt Bedard will get 8-year extensions, the question will KD and the Hawks start to lock up all of their young players eligible for extensions like most teams are doing now or go for shorter bridge deals. Seems to be most teams are willing to gamble, pay a higher AAV to lock up long term with the hope the player outperforms the deal rather than wait until the player puts up a couple of monster seasons and then have to pay an even higher premium. My guess Bedard first extension will be 8 years x $12M and second one 8 years x $22M
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 5, 2024 22:33:07 GMT -6
I agree with you that 40/60/100 is a bit on the heavy side - mainly because Bedard does not have the skating speed that Crosby and McDavid had in their sophomore seasons that helped propel them to 100+ seasons - he has enough speed in every other aspect of the game most notably in mental processing - but his "get from point-A to point-B" limits him from making certain types of plays. He listed improving his speed as an area to improve this offseason so it will be interesting to see if he's gotten faster. I said a few pages back that I thought CB needed to work on 2 aspects of his game. First 2-3 steps for speed and arm/wrist strength for Faceoffs. It's well known he needs to work on his first few steps but arm/wrist strength isn't an issue, you can't be regarded as one of the best shooters in the world, when you're a teenager, if your wrists and arms aren't strong. |
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Post by BigT on Sept 6, 2024 6:55:59 GMT -6
I’m not worried about Bedard. He’s a kid that works out like crazy. His speed will come. He’s a fresh 19 year old. His body hasn’t even reached potential yet. Once he’s 22-23, he’ll be something you rarely see!!!
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 9, 2024 18:49:10 GMT -6
ben pope article on the possibilities for bedard in his sophomore season. i managed a copy/paste in case some here can't access the article. lots of numbers in play here so if you're not a fan of numbers this article might not be for you. Connor Bedard thought his Blackhawks rookie season was just “OK,” but it actually was the most productive rookie season by a first overall pick — on a points-per-game basis — since Connor McDavid in 2015-16.
What will Act II of the Book of Bedard bring?
There will be plenty of factors working in his favor as he attempts to make his 2024-25 season even more impressive than his 2023-24 debut. He’ll be more familiar with the opponents he’ll face each night and more comfortable in the NHL spotlight. He’ll apply lessons learned about what he can and can’t get away with at this level, and he’ll have a more competent supporting cast.
On the other hand, tallying 61 points in 68 games — as he did last year — is no easy feat. It will take plenty of effort to repeat that output and even more effort to top it.
Entering last season, forwards taken first overall during the NHL’s salary-cap era (since 2005) averaged 53 points and 68 games played — a rate of 0.78 points per game — during their rookie seasons. Bedard averaged 0.90 points per game.
Now it’s time for a similar yet slightly different historical analysis: How have forwards who enjoyed comparably productive rookie seasons fared in their second seasons?
Let’s look at rookie forwards who averaged at least 0.80 points per game, lowering the bar slightly from Bedard’s lofty standard. There are 27 players who did that in the salary-cap era before Bedard, creating a group that includes some players often cited as Bedard peers (McDavid, Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Mathew Barzal) and some players never described as such (Michael Bunting, Brad Boyes, Colby Armstrong). Johnny Gaudreau, whose death last week rattled the hockey world to its core, is also on the list.
In their rookie seasons, that group collectively had 1,746 points in 1,900 games — an average of 0.92 points per game. And in their second seasons, they had 1,885 points in 2,063 games — an average of 0.91 points per game.
That’s right: The NHL’s best rookies over the last two decades have, on average, declined a tick in their second seasons. That’s a discouraging statistic, one that exemplifies why sophomore slumps can be so anxiety-inducing.
When restricting the sample pool to rookies aged 21 or younger — eliminating Bunting, Boyes and Armstrong, as well as players such as Artemi Panarin and Kirill Kaprizov — the statistic becomes only a tad rosier. The 20 guys who fit that criterion collectively improved by 0.04 points per game (0.94 to 0.98) from their first seasons.
There are some bright spots. Crosby improved by a group-leading 0.26 points per game (from 1.26 to 1.52), Gaudreau improved by 0.19 (from 0.80 to 0.99) and Matthews improved by 0.18 (from 0.84 to 1.02).
There are just as many cautionary tales, though. Barzal’s production decreased by 0.28 points per game (from 1.04 to 0.76), and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ production decreased by 0.24 (from 0.84 to 0.60). Even Kane temporarily stagnated, averaging 0.88 points per game in each of his first two seasons.
It must be said that if Bedard improves by 0.04 points per game and stays healthy for all 82 games this coming season, that works out to 77 points — a stellar number for a 19-year-old by any definition.
But he and the Hawks will hope for more. Ignoring the warnings of historical precedents, a full 1.00 points per game seems like a reasonable expectation for a transcendent star of his magnitude.
So how can he buck the trend and achieve that rate of improvement? It starts with simply getting and maintaining more puck possession, especially in the offensive zone.
Last season, Bedard and his linemates spent large portions of many shifts either chasing the puck or buried in their own zone. That’s how the Hawks managed to get outshot 608-438 and outscored 67-37 during their best player’s five-on-five ice time.
Defensive improvement would help Bedard create more opportunities to display his world-class skill with the puck and translate it onto the scoreboard. Playing with more defensively reliable linemates would help, as well — and new signings Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi seemingly would fit that bill better than Philipp Kurashev.
Secondly, it would behoove Bedard to learn how to use his accumulating NHL experience faster than opponents learn how to use their accumulating experience facing him.
Guys who played against him two, three or four times last season will have memorized his tendencies and confront him with more educated game plans this season. If Bedard can figure out those players’ tendencies and develop ideas to exploit them, though, he could keep the playing field level.
And if he can anticipate their game plans, tweak his own tendencies and become unpredictable in the best way — as in, unpredictable to opponents but predictable to teammates — he could turn the tables and become not one but two steps ahead.
Rookie Bedard had a tendency to try to make plays that would’ve worked splendidly against junior defensemen but were easily broken up by pro defensemen, leading to turnovers and counterattacks. Considering the huge jump in levels he was making, those miscalculations were understandable and forgivable, but they won’t be as much moving forward.
But if sophomore Bedard can not only make smarter, lower-risk decisions but also unlock the plays that work splendidly against pro defensemen — the kinds of plays that only Crosby- and Matthews-esque star forwards can make — his innate creativity will become a strength.
That evolution feels inevitable, but the question is how quickly it will take place. For many prospects, it takes longer than two years, as the evidence shows. This season, Bedard will demonstrate whether he fits or defies that pattern.
chicago.suntimes.com/sports/2024/09/08/chicago-blackhawks-connor-bedard-points-per-game-sidney-crosby-patrick-kane-connor-mcdavid-auston-matthews |
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 11, 2024 18:59:06 GMT -6
I agree with you that 40/60/100 is a bit on the heavy side - mainly because Bedard does not have the skating speed that Crosby and McDavid had in their sophomore seasons that helped propel them to 100+ seasons - he has enough speed in every other aspect of the game most notably in mental processing - but his "get from point-A to point-B" limits him from making certain types of plays. He listed improving his speed as an area to improve this offseason so it will be interesting to see if he's gotten faster. I said a few pages back that I thought CB needed to work on 2 aspects of his game. First 2-3 steps for speed and arm/wrist strength for Faceoffs.this bedard article is a pretty good read. www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/more-comfortable-in-his-skin-blackhawks-connor-bedard-ready-to-go-off-in-year-2 |
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 11, 2024 20:02:34 GMT -6
I said a few pages back that I thought CB needed to work on 2 aspects of his game. First 2-3 steps for speed and arm/wrist strength for Faceoffs.this bedard article is a pretty good read. www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/more-comfortable-in-his-skin-blackhawks-connor-bedard-ready-to-go-off-in-year-2A puck didn't break his jaw. |
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Post by malagahawks on Sept 12, 2024 11:29:49 GMT -6
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Post by OldTimeHawky on Sept 12, 2024 11:51:27 GMT -6
On Biz Nastys podcast he said the NHL's in good hands with Bedard. He took a pic with him after Bedard ran a trail called the Grouse Grind. It goes up the Grouse mountain in BC and Bedard did it in 37mins. To walk it the average person takes 2-2.5hrs. After he ran that he went for a skate, the guy is a freak. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 16, 2024 7:27:35 GMT -6
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 16, 2024 7:29:57 GMT -6
On Biz Nastys podcast he said the NHL's in good hands with Bedard. He took a pic with him after Bedard ran a trail called the Grouse Grind. It goes up the Grouse mountain in BC and Bedard did it in 37mins. To walk it the average person takes 2-2.5hrs. After he ran that he went for a skate, the guy is a freak. in the above interview they said the sedins did it in about 31 minutes so CB's got something to shoot for. |
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Post by hawks27 on Sept 16, 2024 19:25:28 GMT -6
On Biz Nastys podcast he said the NHL's in good hands with Bedard. He took a pic with him after Bedard ran a trail called the Grouse Grind. It goes up the Grouse mountain in BC and Bedard did it in 37mins. To walk it the average person takes 2-2.5hrs. After he ran that he went for a skate, the guy is a freak. in the above interview they said the sedins did it in about 31 minutes so CB's got something to shoot for. That time is pretty good, and they didn't even mention how many times the twins took a dive on the way up! |
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 16, 2024 19:50:34 GMT -6
where does the time go? this was waaaay back in 2023. i was a younger man then...full of piss and vinegar, thought i had the world by the tail.
ok...not that long ago i guess.
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 16, 2024 19:51:40 GMT -6
in the above interview they said the sedins did it in about 31 minutes so CB's got something to shoot for. That time is pretty good, and they didn't even mention how many times the twins took a dive on the way up! it would have been more pleasing to me if they took dives on the way down. |
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Post by galaxytrash on Sept 16, 2024 20:32:20 GMT -6
sad that the kid's really let himself go in the offseason.
the entire comment on the above tweet to save you a click. if he's trying to emulate crosby's off-season training i'm good with that.
Elliotte Friedman on Today's 32 Thoughts Podcast: "Bedard.... He also looks thicker, He's a STRONG guy."
Biz on Spittin' Chiclits: "Seeing the kind of shape he's in, I'm expecting a 40 & 40 season for him."
Several Podcast have eluded to the remarkable shape Bedard is in. It seems he's taken inspiration from Crosby's Off-season philosophy of working tirelessly to be the best he can be.
Exciting for Blackhawks fans, scary for the rest of the league. This kid is going to do everything within his power to reach his potential.
Elite Talent + Dedication & Hard work = The Best of the best.
The future is exciting.
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Post by ebonyraptor on Sept 16, 2024 21:00:02 GMT -6
Ah 2023 ... I remember that time fondly ... back when I'd have to get up only twice to pee in the middle of the night.
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Post by Tater on Sept 17, 2024 2:18:00 GMT -6
Ah 2023 ... I remember that time fondly ... back when I'd have to get up only twice to pee in the middle of the night.
I still had a full head of hair way back then...
Anywho, Bedard looks really ripped! But with legs that thick and strong, it almost seems like he'd be too muscle-bound to be a really fast skater (to my untrained eye).
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Post by ebonyraptor on Sept 17, 2024 9:03:30 GMT -6
Ah 2023 ... I remember that time fondly ... back when I'd have to get up only twice to pee in the middle of the night.
I still had a full head of hair way back then...
Anywho, Bedard looks really ripped! But with legs that thick and strong, it almost seems like he'd be too muscle-bound to be a really fast skater (to my untrained eye).
I wondered the same thing. |
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