Why Connor Bedard’s offensive growth with Blackhawks stems from him creating more space

NEWARK, N.J. — At Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill’s introductory news conference last May, he mentioned how Connor Bedard creating more space for himself in the offensive zone could help him take the next step.

His shooting, passing and stick-handling skills have always been elite, but without space, they’re useless. And with opposing defenses keying on him — especially since his Hawks linemates have never posed equivalent threats — he will never have space unless he can create it.

Almost a year later, Blashill’s point has proven prescient. Bedard has taken the next step toward superstardom this season, and that’s largely because he has found ways to separate himself from opponents’ sticks and bodies.

The 20-year-old center had already reached the 30-goal threshold for the first time and set a career high with 68 points, even though he missed 13 games and was hampered for an additional 13 with a shoulder injury.

His 1.11 points-per-game rate ranks 20th in the NHL.

Blashill notes that players can create more space in three ways: increased speed, increased strength and increased smarts.

Bedard’s improvement in speed has been the most obvious and quantifiable. It was the No. 1 focus of his offseason training last summer, and it became evident immediately during training camp that his work had paid off.

He has recorded 174 speed bursts faster than 20 mph this season, up from 70 last season and 102 as a rookie (in fewer games, no less). He equaled his fastest recorded speed of 22.36 mph on a spirited forecheck Thursday against the Flyers.

As Blashill puts it, “He’s a fast player now.” It’s as simple as that.

On the strength front, Bedard has improved a little bit, but he was already strong as an 18-year-old. The bigger difference is his balance on his skates, which is connected to his skating improvement but might look like a strength improvement.

His goal March 19 in Minnesota, for example, demonstrated both improvements. After stealing the puck from Wild veteran Marcus Johansson at the defensive blue line, he accelerated for a breakaway, then used his body positioning and skating edge-work to prevent Johansson from catching him from behind.

Board battles have been another focus for Bedard. By winning more of those, he spends more time possessing the puck and less time tangled up with other players.

“I’m obviously not the biggest guy in the world, but you can use your strength and stability,” Bedard said Friday. “I’m not going to win every battle, but [I’ve learned] how to turn into stuff. Maybe [I’m] not getting pinned up against the wall as much. I’ve definitely gotten better in that sense.”

But it’s increased smarts — or more accurately, increased knowledge of how to use his inherent smarts — that has made the largest difference.

“My biggest strength is my brain,” Bedard said. “That’s where I think I can maybe out-think people.

Added Blashill: “He’s a really, really smart player. [It’s] probably one of the things he’s underrated with. People talk about his shot, but his game is so much more than that. [He’s an] extraordinarily smart offensive player.”

Bedard’s goal Thursday demonstrated that well. As the Hawks cycled the puck down low in the offensive zone, he hung back near the blue line for several seconds — long enough to be mostly forgotten by the Flyers.

Then he anticipated a gap in coverage opening off to the side of the goal, and he began racing down toward it before it actually opened. Flyers captain Sean Couturier was caught flat-footed, so Bedard had acres of room to bury a well-placed pass from Anton Frondell.

“[I’ve learned] when to do stuff, when not to, and [how to find] little soft areas,” Bedard said. “I’m probably a little more patient getting into spots.”

With that extra patience, Bedard isn’t charging as frequently into areas that turn out to be too tight, which often leads to turnovers. He’s choosier about picking his spots, then fully committing once he makes the decision.

Even then, the spaces are usually still tight and rapidly tightening. That’s just how the NHL works.

But as long as there’s a sliver of room, his hands are good enough to maneuver the puck through, and his release is deceptive enough to avoid stick-checks. His ability to shoot accurately from almost underneath his body helps, too.

That coiled-snake-waiting-to-strike approach sounds like Lightning star Nikita Kucherov, one of Bedard’s most influential models. In fact, Bedard recently read a story in The Athletic that discussed how Kucherov watches video clips so religiously that he has memorized the strengths and weaknesses of every opposing defenseman.

“I’m nowhere near the level of that,” Bedard said, chuckling. “But I think [for] a lot of offensive guys — and myself — the brain is probably the biggest thing.”

Bedard wasn’t at his best throughout the Hawks’ New York-area road trip, and he admitted to it. He still has growth to do, especially defensively, and the team he leads still has tons of growth to do.

Nevertheless, he has squashed any concerns about his long-term potential to be a franchise cornerstone with such an impressive third NHL season.

“[I’ll] just keep getting better and take it day-by-day,” he said.