Connor Bedard frustrated amid early sophomore slump - ESPN

Last season, Connor Bedard was the NHL's rookie of the year. This season, he is one of the league's most frustrated star players.

Bedard, 19, has 3 goals and 12 assists in 20 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, who are tied for the worst points percentage in the NHL (.375). Heading into Saturday's game at the Philadelphia Flyers, Bedard has gone 11 straight games without a goal.

«I could name 100 things [I could do better],» Bedard said Friday. «I don't know, man. It has been frustrating, for sure. I just don't feel like I'm really doing anything. So just keep chipping away at it, I guess, and hopefully find my game again.»

While his point production hasn't fallen off too severely from his 61 points in 68 games last season — good enough to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie — his goal-scoring pace has been cut in half. Bedard had 22 goals last season.

«It's been a tough stretch,» he said. «You just feel like you don't have it or whatever, and you lose a bit of confidence. And it just kind of goes on.»

Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson recently moved Bedard to a line with forwards Jason Dickinson and Joey Anderson, as the young center was shifted to the wing. It paid dividends against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, with Bedard assisting on two Dickinson goals.

The trio went scoreless in Chicago's win over the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday. They were dominated by center Aleksander Barkov's line, getting outshot 8-0 and with a 16-2 disadvantage in shot attempts, but didn't surrender a goal to Florida's top line.

«We didn't bring him here to be a checker,» Richardson said. «But just the way our team has a lack of scoring, we're hunkering down on the defensive side until we get a little more