Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard on pace for NHL rookie time-on-ice record

Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard is clocking some serious ice time through his first four NHL games.

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One thing we know for certain about Connor Bedard is that the kid loves playing hockey.

The Blackhawks rookie phenom is the guy who shows up first to the rink and is the last to leave. It's far from surprising that Bedard leads all rookie forwards in time-on-ice per game (21:13) so far this season, and has the second-highest ice-time average among all rookies regardless of position. The next-highest ice-time per game for a rookie forward belongs to Logan Cooley of the Arizona Coyotes, who has clocked 19:28 minutes per game through through two contests this season.

Since the NHL began tracking players' average time-on-ice in 1997-88, the all-time rookie record belongs to Alex Ovechkin, who clocked 21:27 minutes per game in 2005-06. Sidney Crosby ranks second on the list, with 20:08 minutes per game as a rookie that very same season. If Bedard keeps pace, he would nudge Crosby out for second place behind Ovechkin.

The highest Blackhawks player on the list is Patrick Kane, who recorded 18:22 minutes of ice time per game in his 2007-08 rookie campaign.

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