Connor Bedard's remarkable rookie season has been defined by confidence and offensive wizardry. But on Jan. 5, as he tried to knife through the New Jersey Devils defense while driving to the net, he was flattened by a hit. When the 18-year-old's jaw broke, everything he had been building for was cruelly interrupted.
"It's not fun not to play," Bedard said. "I was dying to get back." One week after surgery to repair his fractured jaw, Bedard convinced trainers to allow him to skate. Solid foods were out, so he drank as many soups, smoothies and supplements as his body would allow, desperate not to lose weight.