Connor Bedard named 37th captain in Blackhawks history
One of the NHL’s Original Six teams have revealed its newest captain.
The Chicago Blackhawks announced Tuesday that forward Connor Bedard has been named the 37th captain in franchise history.
Bedard takes over the captaincy from Nick Foligno, who wore the “C” in Chicago from September 2024 until he was traded to the Minnesota Wild at the Trade Deadline last March.
Late Monday night, Spittin’ Chiclets co-host Brian McGonagle was the first to report Bedard would be the next Blackhawks skater to be named captain.
Bedard had 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points in 69 games with the Blackhawks in 2025-26, setting career highs in all offensive categories. Through three NHL seasons, the 21-year-old has 75 goals and 128 assists for 203 points in 219 career NHL games.
This summer, Chicago signed Bedard to a five-year, $75-million contract extension that will come with an annual cap hit of $15 million. He will carry the NHL’s third-highest cap hit in 2026-27.
Chicago selected Bedard with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. In three seasons of junior hockey with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League, he scored 134 goals and recorded 137 assists for 271 points in 134 career regular-season games.
The North Vancouver, B.C., native has also represented Canada on numerous occasions at the international level. He was part of back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal-winning squads in 2022 and 2023, where he scored 13 goals and added 18 assists for 31 points in 14 games between the two tournaments.
He is the all-time goals and points leaders for Canada in World Junior history.
The Blackhawks finished the 2025-26 season with a 29-39-14 record and 72 points, last in the Central Division and the second-worst record in both the Western Conference and the NHL. They were 18 points back of a Wildcard spot in the West.
Tyler Bertuzzi led the team with a career-high 32 goals, while Bedard’s 45 assists and 75 points led in those respective categories.
