Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard partially practiced with the team on Tuesday. He skated in a non-contact sweater, but didn’t appear to have any limitations in his shooting or skating.
Bedard is on injured reserve as he nurses a shoulder injury he suffered on Dec. 12 in St. Louis. He’s missed 11 games — the team is 4-6-1 in his absence — including the Hawks’ 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
The Hawks, who’ve won three straight and four of their last six, seem to be standing on sturdy feet as they await more Bedard-less contests. But Bedard won’t be kept off the ice longer than he has to.
“I would’ve played against Detroit (the day after his injury), but that’s part of it,” Bedard said. “As a player, you tell them you feel good and you’re ready to go but obviously there’s importance in your health and everything.
“Watching is a tough part, but it’s been so fun to watch the guys and even when we were losing, there were so many positives. It sucks being out, watching every game and not being able to contribute is the hardest thing in the world, but just seeing how we’re playing and keep getting better, that’s exciting to watch.”
In his last two practice appearances on the ice, Bedard has shot the puck with the power that has given him 19 goals this season. He practiced with his teammates for around 30 minutes on Tuesday before doing individual work.
Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said after practice that Bedard won’t play on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues, but he will be “day-to-day” from there. That sounds like positive news for the Hawks.
“It’s great to have him back out there involved in some of the team drills,” Blashill said. “Great to see the jump that he has, so it’s awesome.”
After practice, Bedard said, “I feel really good, got out with the guys a little bit today and keep ramping up. I think we’ve kept the timeline pretty wrapped, but like I said, I’m feeling good and hopefully pretty soon I can get back out there.”
The second half of the Hawks’ young duo returned to the ice on Tuesday. Center Frank Nazar skated with Bedard before practice with a full face mask as he recovers from taking a puck to the jaw on Dec. 20 in Ottawa.
It helps to have a teammate and a close friend with you on the road to recovery.
“The last thing I want is anyone going through it with me or anyone going through rehab, it’s the terrible part of the game,” Bedard said. “For both of us, (we have) each other to stay positive and I think we’re both attacking it really well and approaching it the best we can and with positivity.
“At the end of the day, that’s all you can do. Having him to push me and me to push him, it’s going to make us more comfortable and better when we come back.”
Blashill said that Bedard was to be re-evaluated “in the new year” and has stuck to that timeline. The coach recently revealed that he expects his third-year forward to return to the lineup before the NHL’s Winter Olympic break, which starts on Feb. 5.
The Hawks forward was recently left off the Team Canada roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics. He was disappointed that his name wasn’t called in the roster reveal, but he understands the process that goes into selecting rosters.
“There’s disappointment for sure, everyone in Canada would want to be on that team or any country that’s going,” Bedard said. “But there are so many great players and they have tough decisions to make and you respect that.
“Every player would say they would love to be on (the roster) and disappointed not to, but it’s a great team. You can’t really be mad at the roster they’ve picked, there are no hard feelings for me.”
He respects the decision by Team Canada — which has him on standby in the event of an injury — but will make sure “there’s no choice” about selecting him in the future. He’ll be playing with a chip on his soon-to-be healed shoulder upon his return.
“When you don’t meet an expectation or meet one of your goals, the only thing to do is look in the mirror and see where you can get better,” Bedard said. “That’s not on who’s picking the team, that’s on the players and that’s the positive I’ve taken out of that.”