Wednesday's game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets involves two clubs at the bottom of the standings, but it also features two electrifying rookies who are eager to go toe-to-toe for the first time at the highest level.
The debut clash between Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli, who were selected first and third overall, respectively, is on the mind of many across the hockey world, including the phenoms themselves.
"It's super exciting," Fantilli said. "We're both competitors. We're both going to play our best tonight. It's gonna be fun. I know I'm excited to play against him."
Bedard and Fantill were the first- and second-ranked North American skaters heading into the 2023 draft. The Blue Jackets finished the 2022-23 season with the highest odds to draft Bedard but fell to third after Chicago won the lottery. The Blackhawks selected Bedard, and Fantilli slid to the Blue Jackets two picks later after the Anaheim Ducks chose Swedish forward Leo Carlsson.
"It should be fun going against him," Bedard added, according to Bally Sports' Dave Maetzold. "Obviously someone that I follow really closely, with his success in his career so far. We're obviously friends as well. It should be fun, it's always fun going against people you know, but it's not me versus him. It's the teams playing tonight."
Both Bedard and Fantilli's NHL careers are off to strong starts. Bedard paces all rookies with 15 points in 16 games, while Fantilli ranks seventh among freshmen with four goals and five assists. However, Chicago and Columbus have struggled to find the win column on the backs of their new talents, ranking 31st and 29th, respectively, in the league standings.
Since Bedard played in the WHL and Fantilli suited up in the NCAA, the pair didn't cross paths on their way to the big leagues. They did, however, take the ice together for Team Canada at the 2023 world juniors, where Bedard won tournament MVP after leading his country to a gold medal.
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