Blackhawks Name Connor Bedard Second-Youngest Captain in Franchise History

Connor Bedard, 21, has been named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, trailing only Jonathan Toews as the youngest player to receive the honor in team history.

The Chicago Blackhawks named 21-year-old center Connor Bedard as team captain on Tuesday. Bedard becomes the second-youngest player to hold the role in franchise history, behind only Jonathan Toews, who was 20 at the time of his appointment. The announcement follows a significant financial commitment from the organization this summer, which signed the former No. 1 overall pick to a five-year, $75 million contract extension carrying a $15 million average annual value.

Bedard has led Chicago in points during each of his first three NHL seasons and secured the Calder Trophy as a rookie despite suffering a broken jaw. On April 6, he became the first player in Blackhawks history to reach 200 career points at age 20 or younger. General manager Kyle Davidson stated that Bedard has set a remarkable standard and demonstrated an ability to improve the players around him since entering the league in 2023.

Despite the leadership appointment, Bedard is expected to remain sidelined until approximately November. He is recovering from surgery to repair a shoulder injury sustained during offseason workouts in Vancouver. His absence comes as the team looks to accelerate a rebuild that included the re-signing of Patrick Kane this summer. Chicago has qualified for the postseason only once since 2017, which resulted in a first-round exit during the 2020 qualifying round.