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Blackhawks Daily: Bedard Leads Incredible Class Of 2nd Year Players

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Connor Bedard had a wonderful rookie year in 2023-24. Despite missing some time with his jaw injury, he was productive enough to win the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year! 



Bedard was the best of the rookies but was far from the only great this season. He leads a class of incredible players entering their second full NHL season. 

For one, the two guys were nominated alongside him in the Calder Trophy vote. Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils will be seen as stars in this league for a long time. 

Both Faber and Hughes are defensemen who can make an impact on their team through playmaking ability. They are sure to be staples on the back end for their teams for a while. 

There are also the guys that were drafted right after Bedard in 2023. Both Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks and Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets were great as rookies but injuries hindered their Calder chances. 

It is hard to play 75+ NHL games as an 18-year-old. This is the hardest league in the world and it showed when watching these young rookies (who still happened to be mostly great). 

Bedard, Fantilli, and Carlsson are all sure to be offensive forces once again as they are another year better. Only time will tell how good their teams are but they are sure to stick out. 

There is some great rookie talent coming in this year but not to be outshined by some of these sophomores looking to take things to the next level as they will know more about what to expect entering camp. 

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