Calder winning rookie Connor Bedard has a message for Blackhawks fans

Tonight was the NHL awards, and it was a great moment for Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard as he took home the Calder trophy for rookie of the year. During his acceptance speech, he laid a direct message to the Blackhawks fans That they are the best in the world.

It was an interesting campaign for Bedard as he came into the NHL being promoted as the future face of the league. During his first few weeks he was on tour across numerous cities giving fans a sense of what kind of a player he is and what he will bring to the table.

With the Blackhawks currently mired in a rebuilding phase, Bedard continued to accelerate even with the lack of talent around him and even handled an unusual rumor that circulated throughout the league around Christmas time with now terminated Blackhawks forward Corey Perry.

After suffering a broken jaw which kept him out of the lineup for numerous weeks, he returned to the lineup and continued to play great up until the end of the season.

It will be an interesting offseason for general manager Kyle Davidson as many feel that the team needs to start taking a step forward with Bedard and it's likely he will be active in the free agent market and the trade market to help push their build along and begin to climb in the standings.

After the awards, the next stop is the NHL draft which the Blackhawks hold the second overall pick. The draft will begin on June 28th at 7:00 PM eastern.