NHL Draft

Connor Bedard Evaluation: ‘Going To Exceed’ Expectations

Published

11 months ago

June 11, 2023

Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard, who will be the top pick in the NHL Draft later this month, won universal praise at the league’s combine this weekend in Buffalo.

Bedard, who will be selected by lottery-winning Blackhawks, is expected to become one of the league’s top players sooner rather than later.

He’s going to be on the news, in sports highlights and talked about for the next decade and beyond. If Bedard is going to join Edmonton’s Connor McDavid as the face and voice of the NHL, the league couldn’t have a better spokesman for hockey.

“He’s a phenomenal hockey player and a great kid,” Adam Fantilli, the presumed No. 2 overall selection by Anaheim, told reporters at the combine.

“We’re pretty good buddies. To watch him have success like that was awesome. He was a huge part of why we won that gold medal [at the World Juniors].

“There’s a lot of eyes on him in terms of everything he’s going to be expected to do with the amount of success he’s had in juniors and on an international level.

“In my eyes, he’s going to be able to exceed those, because he’s such an amazing guy and amazing player.”

Juniors Success

Bedard scored 23 points in seven games at the World Juniors in January as host Canada won the gold medal by routing Team USA in the semifinals and winning the gold-medal game in overtime over Czechia.

“It was an unbelievable performance,” Canada forward Shane Wright, now with the Seattle Kraken, told NHL.com about his teammate.

“I’m running out of things to say about how unbelievable his whole performance was this entire tournament. How mature he’s been, how much of a good teammate he’s been to every single guy.”

Bedard has dominated every age group, and he often played against older kids. This past season in the Western Hockey League, he scored 143 points in 57 games for the Regina Pats. He had 71 goals. He has a quick-release wrist shot that has been all but unstoppable. Plus, he has great vision on the ice and through-the-roof hockey IQ.

“I just want to improve in every area,” Bedard told reporters at the combine. “But I think the game is so fast. If I want to be at that next level, skating is huge, just the way the game is going.

“And then just some small things, my one-timer a bit, maybe scoring a few more goals … around the net … I always want to work on everything.”

‘Special Category’

“He’s one of those types where it’s very difficult for the youngest player on any team to be the best player on the team and he’s been able to do that,” Dan Marr, the director of NHL Central Scouting, said at the combine.

“Every outing, every event, almost every game that you’re at, it just puts him in that special category.”

Bedard met with the Blackhawks at the combine. He spoke about his excitement of playing in such a great sports town like Chicago.

The draft is June 28-29 in Nashville. This draft is supposed to be full of talented forwards plus several outstanding defensemen. The Flyers draft 7 and 22.

“There’s been a lot of work put in and everyone here has been putting a lot of work in since they were really young,” Bedard said at the combine.

“For all the guys, it’s pretty exciting that it’s coming up. Only 2-3 weeks away now. So it’s pretty close, and most definitely in the back of your head a lot.”

“He’s right up there with Connor McDavid, it’s just the next generation,” Marr said.

“So Connor McDavid started that trend, and Connor Bedard is going to lead it into the next trend.”

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