Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago Blackhawks standout rookie center Connor Bedard is set for a return to the lineup on Thursday for the team's matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN reported Bedard would return on Thursday after the Blackhawks posted a video of Bedard's highlights, seemingly hinting the rookie was ready to play.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN and NHL Network first reported Bedard had a "good chance" of playing against the Penguins.

The 18-year-old hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 5 due to a fractured jaw that was suffered after a hit from Brendan Smith of the New Jersey Devils, requiring surgery.

Bedard has totaled 33 points and 15 goals in the first 39 games of his career.

Despite missing over a month of action, he leads all NHL rookies in goals and points while ranking No. 4 in assists. His 2023-24 campaign got off to an extremely hot start, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft started his career with 13 points in his first 13 appearances.

Although he wasn't able to participate due to his injury, he became the youngest player in NHL history selected to compete in an All-Star Game. A return to the ice this early comes as a surprise, as Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson previously discussed a slightly longer timeline when speaking to reporters earlier in the week.

"We're hoping after that six-week mark [after surgery], so that will be a week from today, I guess," Richardson said on Monday, per Tracey Myers of NHL.com.

However, it appears that Bedard has progressed in his rehab faster than anticipated and will attempt to help the Blackhawks end their current seven-game losing streak. The rookie discussed his mindset regarding a return on Feb. 7.

"I mean I feel good and ready, but obviously there's a process of it," he said, via Myers. "Obviously anyone who's hurt would say it's frustrating, but trying to do as much as I can and be prepared when I'm back."

Chicago will take on Pittsburgh in his first game back, starting at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Check out Vivid Seats for tickets to see the Blackhawks and for all NHL games

Wrigley Field has hosted plenty of Chicago-St. Louis rivalry matchups during baseball season.

But the Cubs and Cardinals won't be the only city rivals playing at the iconic venue in 2025.

The NHL announced Wednesday the Chicago Blackhawks will host the St. Louis Blues in the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.

As Greg Wyshynski of ESPN noted, this will be the second time the Winter Classic takes place at Wrigley Field. The first one was in 2009 and pitted the Blackhawks against the Detroit Red Wings.

This also marks another return to one of baseball's most storied venues for the Winter Classic, as the Boston Red Sox's Fenway Park hosted the event in 2010 and 2023.

Chicago is no stranger to the national spotlight of outdoor games.

The 2025 game will be its fourth Winter Classic and seventh time participating in an outdoor game, which is more than any other NHL team. That the Blackhawks were chosen again comes as no surprise given their history and the presence of 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, who is expected to be the one who anchors their current rebuilding plans for years to come.

St. Louis last played in the Winter Classic in 2022 against the Minnesota Wild at Target Field.

"My last outdoor-game memory was playing outdoor hockey when I was a kid, so it's an exciting opportunity," Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said, per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Despite playing a number of outdoor games, the Blackhawks haven't enjoyed much success.

Pope pointed out their only win came against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field in 2014. They lost to the Blues when they faced each other in St. Louis' Busch Stadium in 2017 and most recently lost to the Boston Bruins in 2019 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Another loss wouldn't be shocking, as Chicago is in last place in the Central Division at 14-34-2 for 30 points. St. Louis, by comparison, is in the playoff race in fourth place at 26-21-2 for 54 points.

Chicago Blackhawks rookie sensation Connor Bedard reportedly could miss up to two months of action after suffering a jaw injury.

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Bedard underwent surgery to repair his fractured jaw on Monday and is slated to miss between six and eight weeks.

The Blackhawks placed Bedard on injured reserve last week after he left the team's 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 5 after taking a hit from Devils defenseman Brendan Smith.

In the wake of Bedard leaving the game, there were several skirmishes and fights the rest of the way, as his Blackhawks teammates sought retribution for Smith's hit.

Bedard has essentially been the lone bright spot this season for a struggling Blackhawks team that has the second-fewest points in the NHL with 26.

The 18-year-old Bedard was considered the slam-dunk No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft, and he has not disappointed, as he leads Chicago in goals (15), assists (18) and points (33).

He also leads the team in average time on ice among forwards at 19:04 per game, which speaks to his importance to the squad in the embryonic stages of his career.

Bedard is the clear Calder Trophy favorite, which is given to the NHL's Rookie of the Year each season, as he leads all debutants in goals, assists and points as well.

Bedard is the Blackhawks' lone All-Star Game representative, but since the game is set for Feb. 3 in Toronto, he will not be medically cleared to participate.

Because the league mandates that every team has at least one player in the All-Star Game, one of Bedard's Blackhawks teammates may replace him, but the options are less than ideal.

Outside the star rookie, the Blackhawks' leading scorers are 24-year-old Philipp Kurashev (eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points) and 28-year-old journeyman Jason Dickinson (14 goals and seven assists for 21 points), either of whom would be considered among the lowest-end All-Stars in recent memory.

Ultimately, the All-Star Game is just an exhibition and the Blackhawks aren't going anywhere this season with or without Bedard, but a lengthy absence is simply bad for the sport of hockey due to the excitement fans have gotten out of watching him.

A return some time in February is not out of the question if Bedard progresses quickly, but Blackhawks games could be hard to stomach until then.

The Chicago Blackhawks placed center Connor Bedard on injured reserve after suffering a fractured jaw against the New Jersey Devils on Friday as a result of a hit midway through the first period.

Devils defenseman Brendan Smith appeared to hit Bedard in the face while the Blackhawks were in their offensive zone. Bedard skated off the ice and into the locker room after a whistle while the Blackhawks' Philipp Kurashev rushed to his teammate's defense by going after Smith.

Nick Foligno soon skated over to Smith and was eventually given two roughing penalties for his actions. Smith, who was not penalized for the Bedard hit, got his own roughing penalty for his interaction with Feligno.

The Blackhawks continued to go after Smith in the second period, with Nick Foligno fighting him:

A few seconds earlier, Devils right wing Nathan Bastian got hit with a boarding call on Chicago's. Ryan Donato. Alex Vlasic then rushed to Donato's defense, and a skirmish ensued.

The 18-year-old Bedard, who was selected first overall in the most recent NHL draft, has amassed 15 goals and 18 assists this year.

He's obviously the cornerstone of the Blackhawks' franchise and has a bright future ahead of him. It was only natural for Chicago to come to the superstar's defense after that hit.

Connor Bedard, who turned 18 years old in July, became the youngest NHL All-Star in history Thursday night.

Bedard will represent the Blackhawks during the 2024 NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. He is the team's first representative since Alex DeBrincat in 2022.

He will be 18 years and 171 days old at the time of the event, beating out Buffalo Sabres forward Jeff Skinner as the youngest participant in the game's history. Skinner set the previous record in 2011 at 18 years and 259 days old, per Yahoo Sports.

The No. 1 selection of the 2023 draft headed into Thursday night with 15 goals and 33 points in his first 37 games.

Bedard may be less than halfway through his first NHL season, but he's already set multiple other records for the Blackhawks and the league.

In the ninth game of his career against the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 30, Bedard became the youngest player in league history to score within the first 30 seconds of a game, per ESPN Stats and Info.

On Nov. 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in his 12th career game, Bedard became the youngest NHL player since 1944 to record four points in a single game, per The Athletic's Mark Lazerus.

He was the first player in Blackhawks history to score nine goals in the first 13 games of his career, and the sixth NHL player to do so since 1994, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Ben Pope.

Bedard recorded an assist against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12 to mark the first 10-game road point streak by any rookie in Blackhawks franchise history, per NHL.com.

With Bedard currently on pace for 73 points over 82 games, a total which would beat Patrick Kane's 72-point 2007-08 campaign to make him the third-most productive Blackhawks rookie of all time, those aren't likely to be the only records the former No. 1 pick breaks this season.

His next one will come in February as Bedard joins stars including Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby beginning on Feb. 2 with a remodeled All-Star skills competition.

False, baseless and damaging rumors circulated on social media claiming that the Chicago Blackhawks placed veteran Corey Perry on unconditional waivers because he had a relationship with superstar rookie Connor Bedard's mother.

Those rumors have been publicly debunked multiple times (including by Perry himself), and Bedard explained the impact they had on his family when asked about them by Winnipeg media in advance of the team's Saturday road game at the Jets (h/t Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun Times).

"It's just a bunch of B.S. on the internet. It's of course been an effect on myself and my family, and that's not fair. But it's out of our control. It's all just fake, made-up stuff."

Understandably, Bedard appeared annoyed as the line of questioning continued, per Jacob Stoller of The Hockey News.

Perry has released a statement on the matter, apologizing to the Blackhawks organization, his family and friends for his actions and behavior, which have not been made known to the public. He also stated that he will seek help from experts in the mental health and substance abuse fields.

Bedard, who was addressing the rumors for the first time Friday, also told media that his first concern was with Perry and his family.

"Obviously what happened with Perry was serious," Bedard said, per Sportsnet. "I think the first concern is that he's OK, and his family are."

The Blackhawks will now move toward with a Central Division tilt against the third-place Jets. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in Winnipeg.