Connor Bedard Participated in the 2023 NHL Combine- One of Few Top Prospects. Did He Hurt His Value?

On Saturday, June 10, all NHL teams converged on Buffalo for the 2023 NHL Combine. It's a chance for teams to watch players compete in various physical movements and have a 20 minute interview with them. All eyes were on Connor Bedard, as he was competing in the 16 different physical tests. Other top five prospects like Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson and Matvei Michkov chose not to compete.

Part of the combine is the official height and weigh in. No more exaggeration. Bedard came in just under 5'10" tall and 185 pounds, that was as expected. Clearly not an issue as there are many other players who are similar in size and have been excellent contributors in the NHL. Blackhawks Insider Charlie Roumeliotis posted it here:

Connor Bedard officially measures in at 5' 9.75" and 185 pounds. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/FhXkFLnRVV

As a fan of the game, and a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, I am impressed that Bedard chose to compete. These combine activiities have no bearing on whether a player can play hockey. Bedard had nothing to gain by participating. Of course, he had nothing to lose as well. The Chicago Blackhawks are not going to pass on him because he wasn't in the Top 10 in 15 of those exercises. As a fan, though, I love that he chose to compete- it says a lot about his character.

It's true, he did not fare well on the day in terms of top finishes. The only exercise he was in the top 10 was pull ups. He tied for second with fourteen. That result was not terribly surprising. He was wearing a shirt with no sleeves. He is absolutely jacked. His arms and shoulders are well developed and proved such in the event. Here is the video of Bedard competing provided by Charlie Roumeliotis:

Connor Bedard just did 14 pull-ups, which is the top result of the day so far. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/g6iDgAY8XB

As mentioned, that was the only event in which he was in the top 10. Apparently, Bedard was not feeling well going into the combine. Yet another reason to love his compete level. One exercise that illustrates where he does pale in comparison was the long jump. The winning jump was 118 inches. Bedard came in at 93- two feet short of the longest jump. Roumeliotis posted it here:

Connor Bedard’s top result for the horizontal jump: 93 inches. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bmHY4c4W8p

So, what does it all maean? Absolutely nothing. The proof is on the ice over a number of years. Whether a player competes well in exercises that don't translate to the ice is of little consequence. Perhaps if an organization was stuck between two players and one clearly showed that he was better physically, an NHL GM might lean toward that player knowing how physical the NHL is. Beyond that, there is little consequence here for a player like Connor Bedard.

Regardless of his performance, Connor Bedard's stock went up for the Chicago Blackhawks. He came to Buffalo eager to compete and said all the right things in interviews. He is an absolute slam dunk and will be a great NHL player for years to come. And, let's not forget those guns!