CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard came out of the tunnel Tuesday wearing an "A" near his left shoulder, the Chicago Blackhawks center named an alternate captain for the first time in a regular-season game.

A short time later, the 20-year-old was celebrating the second hat trick of his NHL career in a 5-2 win against the Calgary Flames at United Center. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft has emerged as the undisputed leader of the Blackhawks (10-5-4), who are 5-0-1 in their past six games.

"It's great, for sure," Bedard said. "There have been a lot of great players who have a letter on their chest and it's a great honor and something I don't take lightly, and no one would take lightly. It's cool, for sure."

Bedard became the fourth player in Blackhawks history with multiple hat tricks before

See Full Page