The head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, **[Jeff Blashill](https://www.nhl.com/tags/25416-dzheff-blashill/)**, commented on forward Connor Bedard’s exclusion from the Canadian national team for the Olympics.
“First and foremost, I have immense respect for how difficult such decisions can be. To be honest, Canada, the USA, and Sweden have so many elite players that someone inevitably gets left out. However, one thing I can say for sure is that the rest of the league doesn’t fully grasp just how strong of a two-way player focused on winning Connor has become.
I’m not sure why that is. It could be tied to how he was perceived in previous years, but the reality is that many simply don’t recognize how exceptional he is as a player who contributes to victory.
Why am I confident that he’s a top-tier player capable of making a difference? When he was with us, we were just one point away from the wildcard spot in the West, and after that, we managed only one win in eight games.
That’s the impact he has. That’s what kind of two-way player he has evolved into. You can’t achieve that effect merely by accumulating points – it only comes when you’re a truly complete two-way player who plays to win. That’s exactly who Connor has become,” Blashill stated, as reported by the NHL website.
