Blackhawks’ Bedard back on ice amid recovery

Connor Bedard is back — to skating, at least.

The Chicago Blackhawks rookie returned to the ice on Monday just 10 days after fracturing his jaw in a collision with New Jersey Devils defenseman Brendan Smith and seven days post-surgery.

Bedard — the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft — sported a full cage and no-contact sweater for the session with Chicago’s other injured players Nick Foligno and Sam Savoie. The original timeline for Bedard’s return to game action was set at six to eight weeks.

Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson said Monday there is “no change” at the moment to Bedard’s timeline for return but added that the rookie was “eager” to get out there anyway.

“He’s been begging,” Richardson said. “They [the doctors] said it was OK, but he was given specific instructions. He’s not allowed to take slapshots; so, he’s not allowed to really clench [the jaw]. If they see that, they might pull the rug out from under him … it’s just good for him to get moving. He just has to be careful with the early stages of clenching.”

Richardson clarified Bedard’s jaw isn’t completely wired shut at this stage but has elastic bands in place to ensure it heals properly.

The fact that Bedard wasted no time jumping back into the fray didn’t surprise his teammates.

“I didn’t even know he was going to skate today,” fellow rookie Kevin Korchinski said. “But he’s itching to get back. It’s probably the longest break he’s had off hockey for a while.”

Even Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson acknowledged earlier this month that Bedard, 18, would be hard to keep on the sideline for long.

“I’m sure he’ll be pushing the envelope,” Davidson told reporters last week. “But I think he also understands it’s not something to mess with. He doesn’t want to force it too soon and miss more time. That would be not good for anyone, and so he won’t want to do that. We’ll make sure he’s put in a good spot and understands the process of healing and being able to take contact and those sorts of things.”

Bedard paces all NHL rookies with 15 goals and 33 points this season and was named to the NHL All-Star Game one day prior to his injury. Davidson didn’t rule out the possibility of Bedard appearing at the event in Toronto from Feb. 1-3 even if he couldn’t fully participate, but the organization’s focus is clearly on ensuring his full recovery.

“I’m sure as things go along and he feels more capable of doing things on the ice, he’ll be excited to get back,” Davidson said. “All [is] going well right now.”