Why Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard won’t play for Canada at IIHF World Championship

Connor Bedard sat out of 12 games in the 2026 NHL season for the Chicago Blackhawks due to a shoulder injury. The injury, which he picked up on December 12 last year, not only resulted in Chicago missing the 20-year-old, it has also led to him pulling out of the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.

Speaking to The Athletic, Bedard revealed exactly what led to his decision to decline his national team.

“Kind of seeing obviously how your body’s feeling after the season and take a week or whatever. feel pretty good for the most part. I think just talking to doctors and stuff and obviously given the injury I had, just a little more time to rehab. I wouldn’t say heal, but kind of rehab and get that strength and stuff would be beneficial. It’s kind of a big thought process behind it,” he said.

Bedard claimed that he played some of the best hockey of his career despite undergoing the lengthy rehabilitation.

“And then after the Olympic break, I thought I played my best hockey up until maybe 10 games left. I felt really good with it. I think it was good, and that’s a positive sign. But like I said, it’s time to make sure it’s at the best possible place it can be going into next season,” he said.

While suggesting that the decision is entirely down to his own health, Bedard claimed that “it’s hard to say no” to the national team. Of course, he still produced at a high level despite the setback, finishing the 2025–26 NHL season with 30 goals and 75 points in 69 games, including 19 goals and 25 assists in his first 31 games pre-injury, and 11 goals and 20 assists in his final 38 games.

The Blackhawks have now missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons, including three straight years during Bedard’s tenure, and whether he is fully fit is expected to play a major role in where Chicago end up next campaign.

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