CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill praised Connor Bedard's all-around game a day after the center was left off Canada's roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics.
The 20-year-old Bedard is on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. He skated before practice on Monday and could return this month.
Bedard ranked among the NHL leaders with 19 goals and 25 assists in 31 games before he got hurt on Dec. 12 at St. Louis. Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday that Bedard was in the mix “right there to the last second,” and the injury wasn't much of a factor in the decision.
While acknowledging the difficulty of finalizing Canada's roster for the 2026 Games, Blashill took aim at some of the conversation surrounding Bedard in his third season since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
“I don't think the rest of the league knows how good of a two-way winning hockey player Connor has become,” said Blashill, who was hired in May. “That's the one thing probably, and I don't know why. Maybe it's based on previous years. But I don't think they have a full understanding of how good a winning hockey player he is today.”
Bedard was a gifted offensive playmaker long before his NHL debut in October 2023. But the other parts of his game have come a long way since he first joined the Blackhawks.
He is a plus-eight this season after he had a plus-minus rating of minus-80 while playing on two last-place teams in his first two years in the league. He has won 47% of his faceoffs, up from 38.3% last season.
Blashill indicated that some of the reservations about Bedard have more to do with the limitations of defensive metrics than the center's play on the ice.
The Blackhawks went 13-12-6 in their first 31 games with Bedard. They are 1-6-1 since he got hurt.
“That's the impact he's had. That's the type of two-way player (he is),” Blashill said before Thursday's game against Dallas. “You don't have that impact if you're just a point-getter. You only have that impact if you're a true two-way kind of winning player, and that's what he's become.”
Chicago also has been playing without Frank Nazar, who was placed on IR on Sunday after he was hit in the face by a puck during a 6-4 loss at Ottawa on Dec. 20. He is expected to be sidelined for approximately four weeks.
The Blackhawks lost another center when Jason Dickinson left Tuesday night's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders with an unspecified injury. But Dickinson skated on Thursday morning and could play against the Stars.
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Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill reacts to a call during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Shedeur Sanders has commanded most of the attention and national spotlight when it comes to the Cleveland Browns rookie class.
However, all seven players in Cleveland's 2025 draft class have seen significant playing time this season.
Going into Sunday's finale at Cincinnati, the Browns are on pace to be only the second team in the Super Bowl era to have rookies lead the team in passing, rushing and receiving yards.
The only other team to have achieved that is the 1968 Buffalo Bills, who went 1-12-1 and lost the final eight games of the season. The Browns are 4-12, a one-win improvement from 2024.
“They don’t approach it like rookies. This is not a group where I’ve had to be chasing them around the building to get them to do something or their focus is not where it needs to be," coach Kevin Stefanski said.
"Forget how good of players they are, this is as diligent a group of workers that I’ve ever been around. And I think that’s a testament to these players. I think it’s a testament to (general manager) Andrew (Berry) and crew identifying these players. I think it’s a testament to their coaches and how they develop them. This is a group that loves to work, loves to compete, loves to be out there with their teammates and is willing to do anything that they have to do.”
Second-round pick Carson Schwesinger, the linebacker and 33rd overall pick, leads NFL rookies in tackles (156) and tackles for loss (11). He is also the first rookie since Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson in 2022 to have at least 2 1/2 sacks and two interceptions.
Schwesinger has played in all 16 games despite playing through a pair of injuries. He suffered a high ankle sprain during a Week 8 game at New England and played through a calf injury last week.
“I think, for me, whether it’s good or bad, I tend to do the best when I don't think about the attention. I think when you try to focus on stats or awards or things like that, it takes away from why I’m really playing this game and what I love to do,” Schwesinger said about possible offseason accolades.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz also lauded Schwesinger's toughness and his ability to continue to play well.
“I think some of the plays that I think he’s played the best are plays that you guys might not notice, because he’ll take something away in the passing game or he’ll play perfectly in the run game and somebody else will make the play. Really a cement block for our defense and I think defensive rookie of the year,” Schwartz said.
Mason Graham, the fifth overall pick, has also excelled on the defensive line. The defensive tackle has seven tackles for loss, tied for fifth among rookies, along with 45 tackles and half a sack.
Sanders is 2-4 and averaging 207 passing yards per game in his six starts. He has played behind a makeshift offensive line, but has also had to adjust after losing his top two playmakers the past two weeks.
Running back Quinshon Judkins, who was selected just after Schwesinger as the 36th pick, suffered a broken leg during the second quarter against Buffalo on Dec. 21. He finished the season with 827 rushing yards, fifth most by a Browns rookie in a season, along with seven touchdowns. Both are third among NFL rookies.
Tight end Harold Fannin Jr., a third-round pick, leads league rookies in receptions (72), is tied for second in receiving scores (six) and fourth in receiving yards (731).
However, Fannin is questionable for Sunday because of a nagging groin injury that first occurred in practice on Dec. 26.
Running back Dylan Sampson, who was selected in the fourth round, picked up some of the slack in last week's win over the Steelers with 27 rushing yards. He also has three games this season with at least 50 scrimmage yards. Sampson's 66-yard touchdown catch on a screen pass at Las Vegas in Sanders' first NFL start is the Browns longest play of the season.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel went 1-5 in six starts. The third-round pick had a passer rating over 80 in four of his starts, but struggled with throwing the deep ball.
“It is unique with how many of us are contributing, but it’s not even something we think about at this point in the season,” Sampson said. “We're trying to wrap this season up and just continue to make it strides and growing in this league.”
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (44) celebrates with teammate quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) after catching a touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
FILE - Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger (49) warms up before an NFL football game, Dec. 28, 2025, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko, File)
