Just one hour after the Chicago Blackhawks won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery -- and the right to draft Connor Bedard -- they were already reaping the financial rewards. Ticket sales for the 2023-24 season spiked with fans trying to catch their first glimpse of Bedard in a Blackhawks uniform.
On Monday night, the ping pong balls bounced Chicago's way, and the franchise landed the No.1 overall pick for the second time in franchise history. With Bedard waiting atop the draft board, fans are already snatching up season tickets, even after a 26-49-7 campaign in 2022-23.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Blackhawks sold $2.5 million worth of season tickets for the next campaign after the team won the draft lottery.
The Blackhawks have already sold $2.5 million worth of season-ticket plans for 2023-24 in the 1.5 hours since winning the #1 pick — including more than 500 new full-season plans.
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) May 9, 2023
As a prospect, Bedard has already drawn comparisons to Connor McDavid, and he is expected to make an instant impact at the NHL level. It's not hard to see why.
In 57 games with the WHL's Regina Pats this past season, Bedard tallied a jaw-dropping 71 goals and 72 assists. Bedard also led Team Canada to the gold medal at the 2023 World Juniors. In just seven games, he scored nine goals and added 14 assists.
The last time Chicago had the No.1 overall pick, it drafted Patrick Kane, and that worked out fairly well. Blackhawks fans are clearly hoping for more of the same with Bedard at the top of the lineup.
