Connor Bedard is a special, special player, and the anticipation for his arrival to the NHL is huge. He’s already proven in two WJCs what a player he is, and during the tournament this winter, where he led Team Canada to a second straight gold medal, he broke all kinds of different records.
He was named MVP in the tournament, and with nine goals and 14 helpers in seven games, he is the new record holder in points for Team Canada during one tournament. And he’s still only 17 years old.
He’s the presumptive top pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and teams are already starting to tank to get the best possibilities to select Bedard this summer.
Bedard has also scored goals and points at a unique pace in the WHL, but he isn’t exactly shy about playing with and against players in the big league.
Patrick Kane, star player for the Chicago Blackhawks, now shares an awesome story from last summer’s BioSteel camp. He recalls a drill when Bedard showed a spectacular amount of confidence.
“There was one play in camp, he had a two-on-one with (Connor) McDavid and he looked off McDavid and took a shot,” Kane said in NBC Sports Chicago interview with Pat Boyle, laughing. “We were all laughing on the bench.”
Not passing the puck to Connor McDavid in a two-on-one isn’t really something every player has the guts to do. But Bedard is special, and Kane explains why.
“He moves so well laterally. Everyone talks about his shot, his ability to shoot from different angles and off a different foot each time. But, man, the way he moves laterally is what gives him that space to be able to do that, so pretty impressive. Everyone’s wondering how is he going to do at the next level, how’s he going to be. From what I saw … he’s going to be special.”
