Connor Bedard and 5 NHL rookies that will be must-see TV

The National Hockey League is about to get another season going. This is the best league in the world playing the best sport in the world. Every year, the NHL debuts tons of really good rookies that they hope to impact the league for a long time. Connor Bedard leads the class this year.

Of course, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Connor Bedard into the NHL with their first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. He is one of the most hyped-up prospects in the history of the league.

There are Sidney Crosby/Connor McDavid-type expectations of him. He has the talent to make an impact like that on the league but it is certainly not easy. There is a ton of pressure placed on him because of all this hype.

Bedard got the reputation that he has because of his ability to shoot the puck and make plays. You need that incredible playmaking ability to drive a line the way he can but his all-world shot makes him even more lethal. He is a threat to do it all every time he is on the ice.

The NHL is going to love having Connor Bedard in the NHL this season.

His shot is so good because of the way he snaps it while changing the angle of the shot. This ability is one that should be his best translation to the NHL from his junior days. If he stays healthy, he could be a 700-goal scoring wagon.

Bedard played in the WHL for the Regina Pats. He also represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. No matter where he went, he dominated. Players with his reputation usually don’t come to the NHL and underwhelm so Chicago has to be all sorts of excited.

The team already surrounded him with some talent. Guys like Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, and Nick Foligno will also be good leaders in the room as he gets his feet wet in the NHL. This is good news for him as they are great go-to captain-like guys.

Bedard is not the only great rookie that will be around this season. He may have the highest ceiling of them all but there are a ton to be excited about as well. These are the five other rookies that will be must-see TV this season:

1. Luke Hughes

Luke Hughes is going to impact the New Jersey Devils and NHL right away.

Luke Hughes played two regular season games with the New Jersey Devils last season. He had one assist and an overtime game-winning goal so to say it got off to a good start would be an understatement.

Of course, Hughes also played in a handful of playoff games as well. He played very well in most of them and ended up being relied on a lot as the second series against the Carolina Hurricanes went along.

Now, Hughes enters this season looking to take even another step in what is his true rookie season. After that short NHL run last year and a dominant performance at the University of Michigan for the last two seasons, he is ready for big things in his career.

Hughes is probably the top candidate right now to challenge Connor Bedard for the Calder Trophy. He is surrounded by a ton of talent in New Jersey which includes his brother Jack Hughes.

Their power play is going to be loaded and he is going to collect a lot of points at 5 on 5 because of his skill meshing with everyone around him. It is going to be a treat to watch all year long.

2. Adam Fantilli

The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to bring Adam Fantilli into the NHL.

Everyone thought that Adam Fantilli was going to be the second overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Everyone knew that Bedard would be the first guy but Fantilli did everything he needed to do to be the guy right behind him.

That included becoming the third player to ever win the NCAA’s Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. He was truly spectacular as a teammate of Luke Hughes at Michigan. Everyone believes that he is going to be a star in the NHL because of all this.

Oddly enough, he did not go as the second overall pick. Everyone thought that the Anaheim Ducks would be getting Fantilli when they landed the second-overall pick. That is not the case.

Anaheim decided not to take Fantilli with the second overall pick. They went in another direction. Fantilli went third to the Columbus Blue Jackets and he is incredibly happy with that. He fell one draft pick position from where he thought but it might end up working out for him in the end.

Hockey fans need to be watching Fantilli this season. With the players that they have around him, he should be able to be very productive (and entertaining) this year. Guys like Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine are going to be fun watching with Fantilli. He will also challenge for the Calder Trophy.

4. Logan Cooley

Logan Cooley might become a “face of the NHL” type player in short order.

The Arizona Coyotes are one of the more laughed-at NHL teams. They are playing their home games in a college barn as they wait for a rink to become theirs. There has also been a lot of losing in the recent past.

Arizona had a slightly better year in 2022-23 which was a step in the right direction. They were still a bottom-8 team but they were far from the worst team in the league. Now, they are hoping to improve even more.

In 2022, the Yotes were pretty thrilled to be drafting Logan Cooley with the third overall pick in the draft. Now, after a brilliant career in the NCAA with Minnesota, he is ready to be a great player in the NHL.

Cooley’s ability to make big plays is important to his game. He can score pretty goals and set up teammates with all of his skills. Like some of the other prospects here, there are a ton of awesome players that will be surrounding him in his rookie year.

The most exciting duo on the Coyotes this season might be Cooley with Clayton Keller. The latter had 80 points last season and now he is looking to take yet another step. Cooley might be able to help him with that. As we’ve been saying for everyone here, he needs to be watched by all hockey people.

5. Leo Carlsson

The Anaheim Ducks are going to be a lucky NHL team with Leo Carlsson.

So the Anaheim Ducks decided to pass on Adam Fantilli with the second overall pick. Instead, they decided to take Leo Carlsson. It is a risky move but it is one that they believe will help them one day.

Coming over from Sweden, he really raised his draft stock during his draft season. He was awesome all year and that includes a very good showing with Sweden at the World Junior Classic.

He had a little bit of an injury scare during practice this month but it seems like he is going to be okay. That is amazing news for the Anaheim Ducks who are looking for another year of growth.

Carlsson will have studs like Trevor Zegras, Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, and Jamie Drysdale amongst others around him which should make him even more fun to watch. The Ducks might not be very good but they have a lot of entertaining players right now.

This pick is going to be judged based on how he plays compared to Fantilli. That isn’t fair to either of them but it is going to be entertaining to watch. That goes for them and every player on this list.

Honorable mentions

There are a lot of NHL rookies looking to make it big during the 2023-24 season.

We already slightly mentioned Zach Benson of the Buffalo Sabres as an honorable mention when talking about Devon Levi. Benson may not play the entire season in the NHL so he has some work to do still. If he sticks around for the entire year, he will absolutely be worth watching.

Matt Poitras might be the most interesting prospect playing in the NHL to start. He is going to play for this Boston Bruins team that is beginning a new era without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. It should be fun to see how he does.

Matthew Knies deserves an honorable mention. He came into the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup at the end of 2022-23 after dominating alongside Cooley at the University of Minnesota. Now, he is looking to be a big part of the Maple Leafs going forward.

Matt Coronato of the Calgary Flames is a great player and one that should get their fans out of their seat on a regular basis. He is playing for the Flames out of the gate after a great career at Harvard.

There are sure to be some other rookies that rise to the top this year too but these ones are starting the season with the most hype. It should be amazing theatre to watch them grow and develop into stars of this great league.