CHICAGO -- For Don Granato, the similarities between Connor Bedard and Auston Matthews are easy to see.
“The confidence, the swagger, the feel that they have, [like] ‘Any moment I can score in this league in this situation.’ That reminds me a lot of Auston,” the Buffalo Sabres coach said of Bedard, the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Matthews, the No. 1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Draft.
“You see [Bedard], he just presents by posture, language, with so much confidence. He’s on the hunt. He knows it, he can score at any moment. When I flip him on and watch him, that’s what I see.”
Those who have played with or against Matthews see valid comparisons between him and Bedard, who will face each other for the second time in the NHL when the Maple Leafs visit the Blackhawks on Friday (2 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, TSN4).
Each center was highly touted entering his rookie season and was expected to help turn around the fortunes of his franchise. The Maple Leafs, who have won the Stanley Cup 13 times but have no championships since 1967, missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 10 of the 11 seasons prior to Matthews’ arrival. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 but missed the playoffs five of the past six seasons.
And each player got off to a good start in the NHL.
Through his first 17 NHL games, in 2016-17, Matthews had 12 points (six goals, six assists), including five even-strength goals and one on the power play, and averaged 0.71 points per game. He had 65 shots on goal (9.2 percent shooting percentage), averaged 17:13 of ice time per game and won 50 percent of his face-offs (81-for-162).
Bedard played his 17th game when the Blackhawks lost 7-3 at the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. He has 16 points (10 goals, six assists), including nine even-strength goals and one on the power play, and is averaging 0.94 points per game. He has 48 shots on goal (20.8 percent shooting percentage), averages 19:42 of ice time and has won 39.1 percent of his face-offs (75-for-192).
Matthews scored four goals in his NHL debut, a 5-4 overtime loss at the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 12, 2016. Bedard had an assist in his debut, a 4-2 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 10. He got his first goal the next day in a 3-1 loss at the Boston Bruins.
Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk, who played for the Maple Leafs from 2012-18, said he could tell from his first practice with Matthews that the rookie was going to be a world-class player right away.
“Obviously I’ve only gotten a chance to play a couple of games against Bedard,” van Riemsdyk said, “but it seems like he’s got that same approach that someone like Auston has where it’s almost like, that obsessive drive to just want to be the best. He loves the game like Auston loves the game. I think again, when you have all that talent that someone like that has and you combine it with that, eventually you’re going to find out what your ceiling could be just because you’re always going to try and find ways to get better.”
Maple Leafs center John Tavares likes what he’s seen from Bedard heading into this matchup against him. Chicago won 4-1 at Toronto on Oct. 16, with Bedard and Matthews each finishing without a point.
“I think he’s got just such good awareness of time and space out there, where the defender is playing him, where the open man is,” Tavares said. “His ability to shoot, which obviously his release and deception is as good as any player in the game.”
Indeed, the comparable release and shot come up a lot with the two players. Bedard said at the NHL Player Media Tour in September that he’s tried to emulate Matthews’ shot.
Sabres forward Alex Tuch, who played with Matthews with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2013-14, sees it.
“They have a very unique but very kind of similar pop and power when they shoot the puck,” he said. “I think their ability to find those openings and find the openings and find the open ice throughout the slot, the neutral zone, being able to advance the puck and really keep defensemen on their heels, is something that I think they both take great pride in and really focus on.”
Matthews has become one of the best in the NHL after excelling in his rookie season, when he had 69 points (40 goals, 29 assists). Whether Bedard does the same remains to be seen, but much like Matthews, he’s captured the hockey world’s attention early on.
“That’s the exciting part, and what brings a larger appeal to the game is when you have these heralded, hyped-up guys,” van Riemsdyk said. “People want to see how good they are and it brings different eyeballs on the game. That’s definitely a cool thing about that.”
NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin and independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
