CONNOR BEDARD

Center
5’10/185
Right
Regina Pats/WHL

Connor Bedard is a generational talent and is the consensus number 1 pick in the 2023 Draft; he has all the tools to be the league’s next superstar. Bedard is an electrifying forward who has a wicked quick release on his shot, as well as top-notch speed, and superb hockey sense. Despite playing against older competition, Bedard has always managed to stand out and electrify fans with his dynamic skillset. Whoever lands Connor Bedard with the 1st overall pick is going to have a franchise superstar to build around, which is why many teams are purposely trying to tank this year.

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Size/Strength Average
Skating Excellent
Shot/Scoring Excellent
Puckhandling Excellent
Physical Play Great
Offensive Play Excellent
Defensive Play Good
Hockey Sense Excellent
Competitiveness Excellent

Strengths

1. Dynamic goal scorer with a wicked release on his shot.
2. A threat on the power play with his one-timer and coming down the strong side.
3. Has excellent speed and is explosive with the puck on his stick.

Areas of Improvement

1. He is a bit undersized, but he can get away with it because of his dynamic skill.
2. Although He is a good defender, his defensive zone coverage could improve.

Connor Bedard has been under the spotlight since he was granted exceptional status as a 14-year-old to play in the WHL for the Regina Pats. In doing so, Bedard became just the 7th player to be granted exceptional status, joining the likes of Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, and Shane Wright. Since being drafted by Regina, Bedard has done nothing but dominate the WHL, as in his Rookie year, he scored 12 goals and 28 points in just 15 games.
Bedard made his presence known on the international scene, as he put up a whopping 7 goals and 14 points in 7 games in the WJC U18s, as a 15-year-old, and even broke McDavid’s records in the U18s. This season with the Regina Pats, Bedard put up 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games, and also served as the team’s alternate. Bedard was named Captain for the team and claimed a second-place finish at the 2022 U18s, where he put up 7 points in 4 games. Bedard was the seventh 16-year-old to be selected to play for Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship, joining the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza, Jay Bouwmeester, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid. Make no mistake about it, Connor Bedard is a Superstar in the maker, he has that it factor and has supreme confidence when he has the puck on his stick. He is a player who is capable of completely changing the fortunes of a franchise, and can make other players around him better. What stands out to me about Bedard is his shot and how quick he can get his shot off while not even breaking stride, but you also can’t overlook his playmaking ability. Like most superstars, Bedard can play at different gears and can shift to a different gear than most players just aren’t capable of. People like to make the comparison of Bedard to McDavid, but their playstyles aren’t that similar, Bedard is more of a scorer than McDavid, and is a past
first player, while Bedard has a short first mentality, and would be more comparable to Auston Matthews in playstyle, but he is not big and strong as Matthews is, so Nikita Kucherov would
be a more accurate comparison. Bedard is an NHL-ready talent who can make the jump straight to the NHL when he is drafted, which leaves teams who have the possibility of drafting him drooling over the possibility of landing a generational talent like him. The team who lands Bedard, at the very least will get a franchise player who they can build around for the next
decade.