Fellow rookies confident Bedard will make smooth transition to NHL

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Connor Bedard dominated junior hockey last season in a way few players before him ever have.

The 18-year-old forward led the Western Hockey League with 71 goals and 143 points in 57 games with Regina. It was the most points by a player in the league since 1995-96, and the third-most ever by a player 17 or younger (Bedard turned 18 on July 17), after Rob Brown (173 points, 1985-86) and Ken Yaremchuk (157, 1981-82). It was the most goals by a WHL player since Pavel Brendl scored 73 in 1998-99.

Bedard also helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games, a Canada record and the fourth-most of any player in WJC history.

He capped his season by helping Regina reach the WHL playoffs for the first time since 2018, and he had 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in seven postseason games.

It’s no wonder he was the No. 1 pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft, and it’s no wonder his fellow rookies who played with him and against him in juniors believe he will be just fine making the jump to the NHL.

"I got to see him when he first entered (the WHL) and it's been amazing to see how much he's grown," Seattle Kraken defenseman prospect Ryker Evans, a teammate on Regina from 2020-22, said last month at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase. "I was learning things from him when he was just 15 years old. So, it's been pretty cool to play with him and just to see him grow. It's been awesome."

There was a lot of awesome from Bedard last season, most of it rooted in his play at the World Juniors, especially his dazzling overtime goal in a 4-3 win against Slovakia in the quarterfinals.

Bedard started with the puck high in the offensive zone. He cut to his right around forward Libor Nemec, skated into the slot, pulled the puck around forward Peter Repcik, flipped it onto his backhand, held off defenseman Simon Nemec, dragged it around goalie Adam Gajan and scored into an open net.

"I still see clips of that goal to this day and yeah, it was pretty ridiculous," said Montreal Canadiens forward prospect Owen Beck, a teammate at the WJC. "That was such a tight game in the quarterfinals, and for him to end it like that in such a pretty fashion, that was pretty cool. And he ended it off with a great [celebration] with the heartbreaker there. That's the moment that really cemented that yeah, this guy's legit."

Logan Stankoven was on the ice for the goal, about 15 feet behind Bedard in case he was needed for a pass, and laughed at the memory of not really being needed in that moment.

However, the Dallas Stars forward prospect said it's a different Bedard goal that stands out to him, one from the gold-medal game of the 2021 IIHF Under-18 World Championship against Russia. With Canada down 1-0 in the first period, Bedard carried the puck to the left hash mark and snapped a backhand shot high over goalie Sergei Ivanov.

"He had a penalty shot and he had missed, and I think it was like a few shifts later he just pulled a ridiculous move," Stankoven said. "It was in the finals, we were playing Russia for the gold, and he pulled this ridiculous move, pulled it to his backhand and shelfed from like the of top the circles. I think that was the moment I was like holy cow, this kid's going to be really good."

Bedard has also been good off the ice, despite being the center of attention no matter where he's played. His skill level has been compared to former No. 1 picks like Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers, 2015) and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs, 2016) and he's been swarmed by fans everywhere he's been. At the NHLPA Rookie Showcase on Sept. 5, fans were waiting for him during a walk from the hotel to the bus that took the players to MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

"It's part of his reality," said Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman prospect Stanislav Svozil, a Regina teammate last season. "I wasn't surprised. This is what happened after every game in Regina. And then away games too. So I wasn't surprised."

After being so impressed by him, Bedard's peers understand now is the time where they're going to have to try defend him.

Calgary Flames goalie prospect Dustin Wolf spent time watching Bedard at the Rookie Showcase, looking to gain a hint of information he could file away.

“I haven’t been against Bedard yet," he said. "I’m really looking forward to seeing his release, hopefully today. … Trying to see what I’m setting myself up against."

Svozil would know best how to handle Bedard from practicing against him all last season, but he's not sure what advice he could give opposing players.

"It's hard because he comes every time with something new," Svozil said. "When we played against him in World Juniors, we had good tactics against [Canada] and against Connor too and I think it worked. So that was one tournament when it worked. But in a season, you saw that no one could handle him."

NHL.com staff writer William Douglas contributed to this report