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Connor Bedard
Connor Bedard 2022.09.30
Born (2005-07-17)July 17, 2005,
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Height
Weight
5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team Chicago Blackhawks
NHL Draft 1st overall, 2023
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2023–present

Connor Bedard (born July 17, 2005) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Considered one of the greatest ice hockey prospects of his generation, he was selected first overall by the Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Bedard was selected by the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) first overall in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2020 as the first WHL player of exceptional status, and won the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie player in his debut season.[1][2] In his third year in the WHL, he won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's leading scorer and was given the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as its most valuable player, before also earning the Canadian Hockey League's Top Scorer and Player of the Year honours.[3][4][5][6]

Competing internationally for Canada, Bedard won championships with the Canadian national under-18 team in 2021 and with the Canadian national junior team in 2022 and 2023. His 2023 tournament performance set several national and international points records, and led to his being named the event's most valuable player. Bedard was the inaugural recipient of the IIHF Male Player of the Year award.[7]

Early life[]

Bedard was born on July 17, 2005, and grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his parents, Tom and Melanie, and sister.[8] Connor's great-great uncle James played 22 NHL games for Chicago between 1949–51.[9] In 2018, Bedard emerged as a young hockey prospect, being named "The Future of Hockey" in an article by The Hockey News.[10] Bedard played minor hockey with West Vancouver Academy Prep of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.[5] While playing with this school's U15 and U18 teams, Bedard led the league in goals and points and was named Most Valuable Player both years.[5]

Playing career[]

Regina Pats (2020–2023)[]

In March 2020, Bedard was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada, allowing him to enter the major junior-level Canadian Hockey League component leagues a year early.[11][12] In the WHL Bantam Draft in 2020, Bedard was selected first overall by the Regina Pats as the first ever Western Hockey League (WHL) player of exceptional status.[13][14][15] In September 2020, Bedard was loaned to the HV71 junior hockey system, where he played until the WHL returned to play for its 2020–21 season beginning in March 2021.[16][17] As a rookie in the WHL, Bedard scored 12 goals and 16 assists for 28 points in just 15 games before leaving for the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships, as a result of which he was named the Western Hockey League's East Division rookie of the year and subsequently awarded the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL's rookie of the year.[2][18]

During the 2021–22 WHL season, Bedard became the youngest player ever to score 50 or more goals in a season, managing his 50th and 51st goals in the last game of the regular season.[19] He finished the year with 51 goals and 49 assists for an even 100 points, ranking second in the WHL in goals and fourth in points. He was only the third 16-year-old to manage a 100-point season in the WHL, and the first to do so in the 21st century.[20] As he attended the 2022 NHL Entry Draft as an observer, Bedard was profiled in The New York Times as "the most exciting future NHL player attending this week’s draft."[21]

After not recording a point in his opening game of the 2022–23 season, Bedard embarked on a lengthy points streak that propelled him to first place in the WHL's standings.[22] On November 17, he became the first WHL player in a decade to record twenty-game point streaks in consecutive seasons.[23] Bedard's presence was noted for attracting large crowds for the Pats' road games, with his first-ever return to greater Vancouver for a game against the Vancouver Giants drawing over 5,000 fans, nearly double the Giants' season average.[24] Despite missing eleven games in December and early January while attending the World Junior Championships, Bedard still led the WHL in scoring upon his return to the lineup on January 8, where he had four goals and two assists in a 6–2 home victory over the Calgary Hitmen.[25]

With the Regina Pats not considered an especially competitive team, and Bedard considered a virtual certainty to play in the NHL the following year, there was some media discussion in advance of the WHL's 2023 trade deadline whether the Pats should seek to trade him to a contending team in exchange for future assets. Pats general manager John Paddock strongly denied there was any prospect of such a trade, noting in addition that per WHL rules Bedard would have to consent to be traded, and "Connor has the final say. He wants to be a Regina Pat and finish his career in Regina, clear?"[26][27] Ultimately the trade deadline passed without any transaction.[28]

While Bedard's status as an audience draw was already apparent earlier in the season, this effect ramped up noticeably following his return from the 2023 World Junior Championships, which had significantly elevated his national profile. A January road trip through the province of Alberta saw team record attendance (7,287) at the Red Deer Rebels' Peavey Mart Centrium, while Medicine Hat Tigers' sellout of their arena saw more than double their average attendance. The Lethbridge Hurricanes offered standing-room only at the Enmax Centre. The Pats played a nationally-televised game against the Hitmen in the Saddledome, the home of the NHL's Calgary Flames.[29][30] The Saddledome's upper seating was made available for the occasion, resulting in a near-record WHL attendance of 17,223 when the Hitmen's seasonal average was only 3500.[31][32][29]

Bedard finished the regular season with 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 games, winning the Bob Clarke Trophy as the WHL's leading scoring. His 143 points also lead the CHL in scoring for the year, and he was the first WHL player to have a 140-point season since 1995–96.[3] The league subsequently awarded Bedard the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL player of the year. He was the first draft-eligible player to be named league MVP since Sam Reinhart nine years prior.[4] Bedard was later given the CHL's CHL Trop Draft Prospect and CHL Player of the Year awards, becoming the first person to win those and the CHL Top Scorer Award for a single season, and named to the revived CHL First All-Star Team.[6][33]

The Regina Pats reached the 2022–23 WHL playoffs, beginning a first round series against the Saskatoon Blades. Bedard had two goals and an assist in a 6–1 Regina victory in the series opener, the first playoff points of his career.[34] Regina won the first two games of the series, but lost the next three straight. Bedard had a goal and three assists in Game 6, a 5–3 Regina victory forcing Game 7.[35] However, the Pats were ultimately eliminated by the Blades. Bedard had 10 goals and 10 assists in the seven-game series, which was widely assumed to be the end of his WHL and junior career.[36]

2023 NHL Entry Draft[]

Bedard attracted considerable interest as a future high selection in the National Hockey League draft from an early age, speculation that was accelerated by his being granted exceptional status to play in the WHL.[10][11] Much of the early conversation two years in advance of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft involved a debate of his merits versus those of Russian winger Matvei Michkov, also considered a budding top talent with the same initial draft eligibility. Following their dueling appearances on their respective countries' national teams at the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships and the abortive initial edition of the 2022 World Junior Championships, many in the media suggested a career rivalry between them comparable to that between Russian 2004 first overall pick Alexander Ovechkin and Canadian 2005 first overall pick Sidney Crosby.[37][38][39] However, following Michkov's signing of a multi-year contract extension with his KHL club SKA Saint Petersburg, as well as geopolitical uncertainties resultant from the Russo-Ukrainian War, it was widely presumed that Bedard would be picked first in the draft.[21][40][41]

Entering his draft year as the consensus choice to be taken first overall, much of the debate around Bedard's future concerned whether he warranted being considered a "generational" talent, comparable to Crosby, Ovechkin and Connor McDavid.[41][42][43] A number of NHL teams, notably the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes, were said to be openly tanking the 2022–23 season in the hopes of obtaining favourable odds in the draft lottery.[44][45][46][47] ESPN remarked that fans of "potential lottery teams have adopted some variation of 'Fail/Tank/Lose Hard for Bedard' as a 2022–23 battle cry."[48] The first overall selection was ultimately won by the Blackhawks, making them Bedard's presumptive destination. A Chicago Sun-Times reporter stated that within an hour and a half of the lottery outcome being announced, Chicago had already sold $2.5 million of season ticket packages.[49]

In Nashville in advance of the draft, Bedard received the E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence, bestowed by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau to "the candidate who best exemplifies commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism."[50]

Chicago Blackhawks (2023–present)[]

On June 28, 2023, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Bedard first overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He was the second first overall selection in Blackhawks history, after Patrick Kane in 2007, as well as the second British Columbian first overall selection, after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011.[51][52]

Bedard signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks on July 17, 2023, his 18th birthday.[53]

International play[]

Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Canada Canada
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold 2022 Canada
Gold 2023 Canada
World U18 Championships
Gold 2021 United States

In April and May 2021, Bedard played for the Canada men's national under-18 ice hockey team in the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championships in Frisco, Texas, winning a gold medal, tying for second in the tournament in points and earning a spot on the media all-star team.

On December 12, 2021, Bedard became the seventh 16-year-old to be selected by Canada for the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[54] Initially the thirteenth forward in the lineup, by the end of the team's first game he had been elevated to the top six. Bedard scored four goals in an 11–2 victory over Austria, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record for most goals by a 16-year-old at the championships, and tying the overall Canadian record for most goals in a single World Junior game.[55] The spread of the Omicron variant thereafter forced the suspension of the World Junior Championships. It was subsequently announced that the event would be rebooted in August of 2022.[56][57]

On April 18, 2022, Bedard was named to the Canadian team for the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, the only returning player from the previous year's championship team.[58][59] He scored a hat trick in the second game of the tournament, an 8–3 victory over Germany, breaking Shane Wright's record for Canada goal-scoring at the U18 Championships, and simultaneously breaking Mathew Barzal's Canada points record.[60] Later in the summer, at the revived World Junior Championships, Bedard again played for Canada, attracting considerable attention for his shot.[61][62] He recorded four goals and four assists over the course of the seven-game tournament, winning gold with Canada.[63]

On December 12, 2022, Bedard was named to the Canadian national team to compete at the 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[64] Scoring the opening goal in the quarter-final match against Slovakia saw Bedard break the Canadian record for career goals and points at the tournament. He also set a new world record for World Junior points by a player under the age of 19, previously held by Czech player Jaromír Jágr.[65][66] Bedard's game-winning goal, scored in overtime, was called an "indelible stamp" on the tournament.[67][68] He recorded nine goals and fourteen assists during the seven-game tournament, winning gold with Canada for the second consecutive year.[69] Bedard was named the championships' best forward by the IIHF directorate, as well as to the media all-star team and as the most valuable player of the event.[70][71] Bedard was the inaugural recipient of the IIHF Male Player of the Year award.[7]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 West Van Academy Prep CSSHL U15 30 64 24 88 22 4 5 2 7 2
2019–20 West Van Academy Prep CSSHL U18 36 43 41 84 32 1 1 1 2 0
2020–21 HV71 J18 J18 Region 1 1 1 2 0
2020–21 HV71 J20 J20 National 4 2 2 4 0
2020–21 Regina Pats WHL 15 12 16 28 6
2021–22 Regina Pats WHL 62 51 49 100 42
2022–23 Regina Pats WHL 57 71 72 143 62 7 10 10 20 8
WHL totals 134 134 137 271 110 7 10 10 20 8
  • Source: Eliteprospects[5]

International[]

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Canada U18 7 7 7 14 2
2022 Canada U18 4 6 1 7 4
2022[lower-alpha 1] Canada WJC 2 4 1 5 0
2022 Canada WJC 7 4 4 8 2
2023 Canada WJC 7 9 14 23 2
Junior totals 27 30 27 57 10
  • Source: Eliteprospects[5]

Awards and honours[]

Award Year Ref
CSSHL
CSSHL U15 Most Valuable Player 2019 [5]
CSSHL U18 Most Valuable Player 2020 [5]
WHL
WHL Exceptional Player Status 2020 [1]
Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy 2021 [2]
Bob Clarke Trophy 2023 [3]
Four Broncos Memorial Trophy 2023 [4]
CHL
CHL Top Scorer Award 2023 [3]
CHL Top Draft Prospect Award 2023 [6]
CHL Player of the Year 2023 [6]
First All-Star Team 2023 [33]
NHL
E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence 2023 [50]
International
World U18 Championship Media All-Star Team 2021 [73]
World Junior Championship Best Forward 2023 [70]
World Junior Championship Media All-Star Team 2023 [71]
World Junior Championship MVP 2023 [71]
IIHF Male Player of the Year 2023 [7]

References[]

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Connor Bedard Granted First-Ever WHL Exceptional Status (March 25, 2020).
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pats forward Bedard wins Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as 2020-21 WHL Rookie of the Year (June 9, 2021).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bedard claims Bob Clarke Trophy as WHL Scoring Champion for 2022-23. Regina Pats (March 26, 2023).
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Bedard named recipient of Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year for 2022-23 presented by Kia (May 10, 2023).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Connor Bedard at eliteprospects.com.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Regina Pats phenom Connor Bedard makes history at CHL Awards (June 3, 2023).
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Podnieks, Andrew (June 19, 2023). Bedard named IIHF Male Player of the Year.
  8. "How Connor Bedard became hockey's next young superstar", May 8, 2023. 
  9. "Bedard family has connection to Draft Lottery-winning Blackhawks", National Hockey League, May 9, 2023. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 Campbell, Ken (November 16, 2018). Meet the future of hockey, 13-year-old Connor Bedard.
  11. 11.0 11.1 "14-year-old Bedard granted exceptional player status for WHL", National Hockey League, March 26, 2020. 
  12. BC Hockey announces exceptional player status for Connor Bedard (March 24, 2020).
  13. "What makes Connor Bedard such an exceptional player", Sportsnet, April 27, 2020. 
  14. (April 21, 2020). NEWS: Pats Sign 2020 First Overall Pick Connor Bedard. Press release.
  15. 2020 Bantam Draft.
  16. Kanadensiske supertalangen i Sverige - tränar med HV71 (sv-SE) (September 14, 2020).
  17. "Man vill bli jämförd med sådana killar - det är ganska coolt" (sv-SE) (September 15, 2020).
  18. Aykroyd, Lucas (May 7, 2021). Michkov named MVP.
  19. Connor Bedard becomes youngest WHL player to score 50 goals in a season (April 17, 2022).
  20. Sadler, Emily (April 19, 2022). Looking at 16-year-old WHL phenom Connor Bedard's historic season.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Joyce, Gare (July 8, 2022). He's the N.H.L.'s Next Big Star. He Just Has to Wait a Year..
  22. Brehm, Mike (January 6, 2023). Connor Bedard watch: Which NHL team has best shot at drafting generational talent?.
  23. Connor Bedard records 20-game point streak in back-to-back WHL seasons (November 17, 2022).
  24. Schram, Carol (November 26, 2022). Connor Bedard's point streak hits 22 games at Pats beat Giants.
  25. Vanstone, Rob (January 8, 2023). Connor Bedard makes a world of difference to Regina Pats.
  26. Murphy, Bryan (December 30, 2022). Should the Regina Pats trade Connor Bedard? Making the case for and against moving the 2023 draft star.
  27. Clausing, Shane (January 9, 2023). Pats not expecting to make major moves at WHL trade deadline.
  28. "Regina stands pat at WHL trade deadline", January 10, 2023. 
  29. 29.0 29.1 Kepke, Cami (February 2, 2023). 'Bedard Bump' sending hockey phenom's stats — and WHL ticket sales — through the roof.
  30. Lubkiwski, Brett (February 1, 2023). Star attraction: Pats' Bedard packing WHL arenas.
  31. Another sellout anticipated as Connor Bedard comes to the Saddledome (February 2, 2023).
  32. Francis, Eric (February 2, 2023). Bedard's legend continues to grow with dazzling performance at packed Saddledome.
  33. 33.0 33.1 2022-23 CHL All-Star Teams announced. Canadian Hockey League (June 1, 2023).
  34. Bedard scores twice as Pats beat Blades in playoff opener (April 1, 2023).
  35. Bedard Watch: Pats' phenom has four points as Regina forces Game 7 vs. Blades (April 8, 2023).
  36. Connor Bedard's WHL career ends as Pats lose Game 7 to Blades (April 10, 2023).
  37. Campbell, Ken (May 4, 2021). Can Bedard vs. Michkov become the next Sid vs. Ovie?.
  38. Schram, Carol (January 3, 2022). The New Sid and Ovi? Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov's Rivalry Is Just Starting.
  39. Spiker, Brianne (December 30, 2021). By the Numbers: 2023 draft-eligible Bedard, Michkov impress at WJC.
  40. Bell, Josh (November 18, 2022). 2023 NHL Mock Draft: Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Matvei Michkov lead early top-32 rankings.
  41. 41.0 41.1 Wheeler, Scott (November 3, 2022). Is Connor Bedard generational? Will Matvei Michkov fall? Shane Wright's future?: Mailbag.
  42. Bukala, Jason (December 28, 2022). WJC Scouting Report: Connor Bedard's generational talent stands out.
  43. MacGregor, Roy (January 6, 2023). There's no doubt Connor Bedard will be the first pick at the NHL draft, but will he be a generational player?.
  44. Traikos, Michael (October 17, 2022). Why the Coyotes — and several other NHL teams — are tanking for Connor Bedard.
  45. Tanking for Connor Bedard: Roundtable on the NHL teams with the best shot (December 22, 2022).
  46. Srinivasan, Arun (January 3, 2023). NHL tanking rankings: Who's in prime position to secure Connor Bedard?.
  47. Stinson, Scott (January 4, 2023). Connor Bedard puts on a show, and NHL teams get their tanking strategies ready.
  48. Wyshynski, Greg (December 21, 2022). Connor Bedard vs. Adam Fantilli at top of 2023 NHL draft board.
  49. "Winners and Losers from the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery", May 9, 2023. 
  50. 50.0 50.1 Morreale, Mike (June 26, 2023). Bedard receives E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence.
  51. Morreale, Mike G. (June 28, 2023). Bedard No. 1 pick by Blackhawks in 2023 NHL Draft. NHL.com. Retrieved on July 1, 2023.
  52. No. 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard begins development camp with Chicago Blackhawks (June 30, 2023). Retrieved on July 2, 2023.
  53. "RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Bedard to Entry-Level Contract". Chicago Blackhawks (July 17, 2023). Retrieved on July 17, 2023.
  54. Connor Bedard named to Canadian junior men's hockey team at 16 (12 December 2021).
  55. "Bedard ties single-game goal record with 4, as Canada dominates Austria at world juniors", 28 December 2021. 
  56. 2022 World Juniors to be played in August, was postponed due to COVID-19 (February 17, 2022).
  57. Further IIHF event updates. International Ice Hockey Federation (March 19, 2022).
  58. "Connor Bedard headlines Canadian roster set to defend U18 hockey championship", 18 April 2022. 
  59. Kemell completes hat trick in OT, Finland beats Canada in U18 quarterfinals (April 28, 2022).
  60. Peters, Chris (April 25, 2022). Under-18 World Championship: Connor Bedard makes history, USA dominant.
  61. Dixon, Ryan (August 12, 2022). Showcasing 'super-elite' shot, Bedard continues to amaze in early WJC performance.
  62. Ellis, Steven (August 21, 2022). World Junior Championships: Top 20 plays from the 2022 summer tournament.
  63. Sandor, Steven (August 20, 2022). Canada defeats Finland in OT thriller for gold at world juniors in Edmonton.
  64. Kimelman, Adam (December 12, 2022). 2023 World Junior Championship rosters.
  65. Clipperton, Joshua (January 3, 2023). Bedard sets 5 records, posts OT winner as Canada tops Slovakia, advances to world junior semis.
  66. 66.0 66.1 Podnieks, Andrew (January 3, 2023). Bedard magic in OT wins classic. International Ice Hockey Federation.
  67. Kennedy, Ryan (January 3, 2023). Connor Bedard is inevitable at the World Juniors.
  68. Vanstone, Rob (January 3, 2023). Connor Bedard takes brilliance to another level.
  69. Bedard has 'no limit' after dominating World Juniors, teammates say (en-US).
  70. 70.0 70.1 Best players elected by the Directorate (January 5, 2023).
  71. 71.0 71.1 71.2 Media All Stars (January 5, 2023).
  72. Connor Bedard named world junior MVP after rewriting record books (January 5, 2023). Retrieved on March 9, 2023.
  73. Media All-Stars (May 6, 2021).

Citations[]

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Juraj Slafkovský
NHL first overall draft pick
2023
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Sam Rinzel
Chicago Blackhawks first round draft pick
2023
Succeeded by
Oliver Moore
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Connor Bedard. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).



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