Blackhawks' Connor Bedard snubs Team Canada invite for 2025 IIHF Worlds: Report

Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard will not be joining Team Canada at the upcoming 2025 IIHF World Championship tournament.

After an up-and-down sophomore season, reports are suggesting that Bedard wants to focus on improving his game and speed through training rather than continuing to play. He was invited by Team Canada, but ultimately felt it was best to get a head start on offseason work.

The 19-year-old did suit up and represent his country at the 2024 World Championships, which could be a further reason why he's skipping the event in 2025.

Blackhawks reporter Scott Powers broke the news that he received from a source on May 1. He shared the update on X (formerly Twitter).

"Connor Bedard won’t be playing for Canada at the World Championship this year, according to a source," Powers wrote.

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Bedard just finished his second season in the NHL, where he produced 67 points (23 goals, 44 assists) in 82 games played. While he did amass more points than in his rookie campaign, his production per game dropped from 0.897 to 0.817.

He has one year remaining on a three-year, $2,850,000 entry-level contract signed with the Blackhawks in 2023.

Many are questioning Connor Bedard's decision to turn down Canada

NHL analysts and fans have started to question Connor Bedard for declining the offer to play for Canada at the World Championships.

That's been magnified even more in recent days, now that superstars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon have joined the team. Former Sportsnet analyst John Shannon echoed that sentiment on Sunday night on X.

"With Crosby and MacKinnon heading to the Worlds, you have to wonder if Nick Suzuki and Connor Bedard are having second thoughts about turning @HockeyCanada down," Shannon wrote.

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It's fair to wonder whether this could affect Hockey Canada's decision-making process for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They've notoriously been displeased with lesser-experienced players during down opportunities to represent the country. Mark Scheifele and Nick Suzuki were among the notable 4 Nations Face-Off snubs after skipping the Worlds in previous years.

Team Canada will begin its 2025 IIHF World Championship tournament on Saturday, May 10, against Team Slovenia. The puck drops at 6:20 a.m. EST at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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Edited by Jackson Weber