Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard had a rough sophomore season, but some new training methods should help him get back on track. After seeing a dip in skating speed, something that was not really an issue at all prior to last year, he’s attempting to get back to normal for 2025-26.
Connor Bedard addressed speed drop for Chicago Blackhawks
Connor Bedard’s speed went down without much of a reason in 2024-25. He had only 70 speed bursts of 20 mph or higher, which is 32 fewer than the season before. His fastest recorded skating speed was 21.4 mph, which is below the league average and 1.3 mph below his fastest from 2023-24.
He believes it might’ve mainly been the “wrong approach” to training last year, and he’s aiming to rectify that. “A lot of it is in the gym, and then you do stuff on the ice to see how you move most efficiently,” he said via the Chicago Sun-Times.
Additionally, the young winger is changing his stick from a 70-flex to a 75-flex, and he’s using the offseason to see what works for him. “Summer is the best time to try something and get used to it,” he added. “The more you can go up [in flex] and feel comfortable, it helps with other things.”
Bedard went on, “[In] a lot of skates, there’s a lot of thinking involved, and you’re putting yourself in game situations. When you put yourself in the spots you’ll be [in] more, you get more and more comfortable with it.”
The Blackhawks star has been working with Macklin Celebrini, Kent Johnson, Arshdeep Bains, and Andrew Cristall to see if these changes will have any positive impact on his game. Bedard showcased a lot of things that needed work in year two. Now, ahead of year three, he’s showing a willingness to try everything to fix those holes in his game.
As the face of the Blackhawks and the central focus of their entire current rebuild, that’s good news. They will only go as far as he can take them, so any improvement and whatever is necessary to get said improvement is a huge development for the team.
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