LAS VEGAS — Connor Bedard won the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie on Thursday, the first Chicago Blackhawk to win the award since Artemi Panarin in 2016.
Voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, Bedard received the award at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on the eve of the NHL draft.
Leading up to the announcement, Bedard appeared to be in a tight race with Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber — and to a lesser extent, New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes — but the Hawks center drew 191 votes that placed him in the top two (152 first-place votes, 39 second-place votes), and he received a total of 1,808 voting points.
That gave him the nod over Faber (1,464) and Hughes (686).
Despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw, Bedard led all rookies in goals (22) and points (61) and tied Faber for the lead in assists (39).
Bedard also led rookies in opening goals (seven), road goals (12) and takeaways (47).
Faber led rookies in blocks (150) and minutes (24:58). His ice time also led the Wild and ranked sixth in the NHL.
Bedard’s 22 goals tied Jason Dickinson for tops among all Hawks, but, powered by his team-high 39 assists, no one else came close to Bedard’s 61 points despite him playing in only 68 games.
This story will be updated.