Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard suffered an apparent right shoulder injury in Friday night’s loss at the St. Louis Blues and has been ruled out of Saturday’s home matchup against the Detroit Red Wings.
Bedard, 20, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, was injured on a faceoff just before Chicago fell 3-2 to St. Louis.
St. Louis center Brayden Schenn, opposing Bedard in the faceoff circle, struck the young star with a solid check after the puck was dropped, causing him to writhe in pain before skating off holding his right shoulder.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill called the injury a “freak accident” and added that the team would have further updates on Bedard’s condition Monday.
“He won’t play tomorrow,” Blashill said. “I won’t know more info tomorrow, so don’t ask me tomorrow. At some point through the weekend, I’ll know more, so I’d probably have more info come Monday.”
Bedard, who assisted on both of Chicago’s goals, leads the team in scoring this season with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 31 games and ranks among the NHL’s leading scorers.
In his third season, the 2023-24 Calder Trophy winner as the league’s best rookie has 172 points (64 goals, 108 assists) in 181 games.
