Blackhawks' Connor Bedard degraded by fellow NHL player while he hypes up Macklin Celebrini

Bedard and Celebrini, the first overall picks in 2023 and 2024, are poised to be compared to each other for their whole careers.

He may not have won the Calder Trophy like Bedard did, but Celebrini just finished far ahead of Bedard in a precise category of an official player poll.

Indeed, Macklin Celebrini was chosen as the "next face of the NHL" by a massive margin.

The «next face of the NHL» category is revealing as it doesn't only reflect on-ice talent, but also personality and marketability. And according to many players, Celebrini already has what it takes, more so than Bedard:

One Western Conference forward didn't hesitate to point out that Celebrini's edge comes from more than just his skillset:

Another player echoed the same admiration for what the San Jose Sharks' young star brings every night compared to Bedard:

Those are some heavy statements, and they underline how much Celebrini's reputation has grown around the league in only a year.

While Bedard is still regarded as a generational talent, some players clearly feel his game hasn't translated to carrying a team the way Celebrini already seems to do.

Interestingly, the two phenoms spent part of the summer training together in British Columbia. Both will face pressure this season: Bedard will try to bounce back after a rough sophomore year, while Celebrini will aim to avoid that same kind of slump in his second season.

Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until February 2nd before watching Bedard and Celebrini face off on the ice in a game.