What Is Connor Bedard's Net Worth and Salary?
Connor Bedard is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who has a net worth of $5 million. His average annual salary under his current contract is $4.45 million.
Connor Bedard is a center for the National Hockey League (NHL) team the Chicago Blackhawks. He was the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL, Connor was the first overall pick in the 2020 Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft and played for the Regina Pats. He was the WHL's top rookie during his debut season, and he won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy. He later earned the Bob Clarke Trophy for being the league's top scorer and was named the Canadian Hockey League's Player of the Year and Top Scorer in 2023. Bedard has also played internationally for Canada's national under-18 team (2021) and national junior team (2022 and 2023), setting both national and international points records in 2023. He won gold medals at the IIHF World U18 Championships in 2021 and the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2022 and 2023. In late 2023, Connor became a spokesperson and ambassador for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Salary & Contracts
Connor Bedard's Contract details:
- Signed: July 17, 2023, with the Chicago Blackhawks
- Length: 3 years
- Total value: $13,350,000
- Average annual salary: $4,450,000
- Signing bonus: $285,000
- Cap hit: $950,000 (for the 2023-24 season)
Salary breakdown:
- Base salary: $855,000 (for the 2023-24 season)
- Performance bonuses: Up to $3.5 million per year, broken down into two categories:
- Type A: $250,000 each for four specific achievements (e.g., Calder Trophy nomination, 30 goals, etc.)
- Type B: $1 million for one of several wider milestones (e.g., top-10 finish in league scoring, Stanley Cup Final appearance)
Additional notes:
- Bedard's contract is an entry-level contract, which is the standard type of contract for rookie players in the NHL.
- He will become a restricted free agent at the end of his contract in 2026. This means the Blackhawks will have the right to match any offer sheet he receives from another team.
Early Life
Connor Bedard was born on July 17, 2005, in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is the son of Melanie Bedard and Tom Bedard, and he has a sister named Madi. His great-great uncle was James Bedard, who played for the Chicago Blackhawks from 1949 to 1951. In 2018, an article in "The Hockey News" dubbed 13-year-old Connor "The Future of Hockey." He played minor hockey for the Canadian Sport School Hockey League's West Vancouver Academy Prep team, and as a member of the U15 and U18 teams, Bedard was named Most Valuable Player after leading the league in goals.
Career
In March 2020, Hockey Canada granted Connor exceptional status, giving him permission to enter junior-level Canadian Hockey League component leagues early and making him the first player to be granted exceptional status to play in the WHL. Bedard entered that year's WHL Bantam Draft and was the first overall pick. He signed with the Regina Pats, and in September 2020, he was loaned to Sweden's HV71 junior hockey system so he could play during the COVID-19 pandemic while the WHL season was delayed. He played for the HV71 until March 2021, and during his shortened rookie season with the Pats, he scored 12 goals. Connor won the WHL's Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the player who is "most proficient in his first year of competition." Bedard scored 51 goals during the 2021–22 season, making him the youngest player to score 50 goals in one season. He became the WHL's top scorer during the 2022–23 season and ended the season with 71 goals. Connor won the Bob Clarke Trophy, the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy, and the CHL Player of the Year award, and he was named the CHL Trop Draft Prospect. The Pats made it to the 2023 WHL playoffs, losing to the Saskatoon Blades in Game 7. Bedard scored 10 goals during the playoffs.
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Prior to the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Connor was honored with the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, which is given to the player who "best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism." During the draft, he was the first overall pick, chosen by the Chicago Blackhawks. Bedard signed a three-year contract with the team on his 18th birthday, and his NHL debut took place in an October 2023 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. His first game was ESPN's most-watched regular season hockey game. During a November 2023 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he became the youngest Blackhawks player in history to achieve a multi-goal game. Connor has also had an international hockey career. He played in the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships for the Canadian under-18 team and won a gold medal and tied for second place in points. He was also chosen for the media all-star team. Bedard was selected to play for Canada in the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, but the tournament was cancelled in December 2021 due to the COVID-19 outbreaks on several teams. It was rescheduled for August 2022, and the Canadian team won a gold medal. Connor played for Canada in the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, scoring a hat trick in Game 2 and breaking the Canada points record set by Mathew Barzal. In the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Bedard broke Canada's tournament record for career goals and points, and he set a world record for World Junior points by a player under 19. He scored nine goals during the tournament, and Canada won another gold medal. Connor was the first player to receive the IIHF Male Player of the Year award.
Personal Life
Connor has participated in events for the charity Hockey Gives Blood, and in April 2023, he spent time with a 6-year-old child who was suffering from Saldino-Mainzer syndrome and awaiting her second kidney transplant.
Corey Perry/Melanie Bedard Rumor
In late November 2023, a controversy erupted involving Connor Bedard and his onetime teammate Corey Perry. While the details of the exact incident involving Perry remain undisclosed, the situation surrounding his contract termination from the Chicago Blackhawks and the unfounded rumors that emerged, unfortunately, entangled Bedard in the process. The popular rumor claimed that Corey was cut from the team after sleeping with Connor's mother Melanie Bedard. The rumors swirled to the point where Connor and the team were forced to make denials.
Awards and Honors
Bedard was named CSSHL U15 Most Valuable Player in 2019 and CSSHL U18 Most Valuable Player in 2020. With the WHL, he received the WHL Exceptional Player Status in 2020, the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy in 2021, and the Bob Clarke Trophy and Four Broncos Memorial Trophy in 2023. In 2023, Connor won the CHL Top Scorer Award, CHL Top Draft Prospect Award, and CHL Player of the Year and was named to the CHL First All-Star Team. He was honored with the NHL's E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence in 2023 as well. In his international career, Bedard was named to the World U18 Championship Media All-Star Team in 2021 and the World Junior Championship Media All-Star Team in 2023, and he won the World Junior Championship Best Forward award, World Junior Championship MVP award, and IIHF Male Player of the Year award in 2023.
