Connor Bedard broke home windows and data in turning into the NHL draft’s presumptive No. 1 decide

The tales of how a lot time Connor Bedard dedicated to growing his exact and productive puck-shooting abilities whereas rising up within the secluded neighborhood of Lynn Valley, tucked amid Vancouver’s North Shore mountains, have turn out to be the stuff of lore.

Marred flooring, damaged home windows, the thud of photographs protecting neighbors up at night time and Bedard turning down a household trip to Disneyland are amongst them. They all paved the way in which for the 17-year-old to be the presumptive No. 1 decide when the Chicago Blackhawks open the two-day NHL draft in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday.

And that doesn’t embody the time Bedard’s mom, Melanie, was pulled over by police due to a license plate chipped by varied errant makes an attempt.

“I don’t think I was missing that bad,” Bedard stated with amusing whereas attending the NHL mix earlier this month.

“Maybe hit a post, ricocheted and hit the car or something,” he added. “My mom probably had some valuable things broken by me. But, you know, I hope she doesn’t mind too much.”

Why would she? Those prolonged follow periods, which finally shifted to the household’s yard to cut back the din and potential injury, have resulted in Bedard being labeled a generational expertise.

He is drawing comparisons to hockey’s different Connor – the McDavid one, who went first general to Edmonton within the 2015 draft.

“It’s just the next generation,” NHL Central Scouting chief Dan Marr stated.

“These young players’ hockey sense is so quick to adapt and read plays and the skill levels, it’s getting better and better, and it’s getting faster,” Marr added. “Connor McDavid started that trend, and Connor Bedard is going to lead it into the next trend.”

And overlook home windows. At just below 5-foot-10 and 185 kilos, Bedard is best identified for breaking data and the loftiest of expectations over the previous three seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Regina Pats and on the worldwide stage.

He was the WHL’s first participant – and seventh in Canadian Hockey League historical past – to be granted distinctive standing, permitting Bedard to play within the main junior ranks at 15. In 2021-22, he grew to become the youngest WHL participant to attain 50 objectives, ending with 51 in 62 video games. Last season, his 143 factors (71 objectives, 72 assists in 57 video games) had been probably the most within the league since 1995-96.

Internationally, his 36 factors (17 objectives, 19 assists) in 16 world junior championship video games rank fourth on the event record behind Peter Forsberg (42 factors in 14 video games), Robert Reichel (40 in 21) and Pavel Bure (39 in 21).

“Incredible,” is how Swedish prospect Leo Carlsson referred to Bedard.

“Exceptional,” was the phrase pal and fellow Canadian prospect Zach Benson used. “I wouldn’t say there’s a way to slow him down.”

Bedard is the whole offensive bundle with deft strikes – which he placed on show along with his additional time purpose in Canada’s 4-3 win over Slovakia on the earth junior quarterfinals in January – passing skill and an distinctive shot. Adding one other story to the Bedard lore, at 13, he strengthened his shot by persevering with to follow solely utilizing his left hand after breaking his proper wrist.

His shot has been honed into one fluid, quick-release snapping movement. Bedard makes use of a stick that’s bigger than most for a participant of his dimension, which provides additional torque and provides him a capability to maneuver the puck away from defenders.

Chicoutimi defenseman Matteo Mann realized firsthand how troublesome it’s to defend Bedard when the 2 practiced collectively on the CHL prospects recreation in January.

At 6-6, Mann thought he had the angle and attain, solely to have Bedard drag the puck round and snap off a shot.

“I don’t think people understand how far across he really brings the puck, because if you watch on TV, it’s easy to point out defensemen’s errors in terms of the way they’re positioning their stick,” Mann stated. “I’d even go to say it’s deceptive.”

Regina coach John Paddock isn’t any stranger to NHL expertise, having performed alongside the Stastny brothers in Quebec and coached Teemu Selanne in Winnipeg, and he mentions Bedard as having the identical potential as McDavid and Sidney Crosby after they had been this age.

“I still try and be guarded when you talk about people because it’s not that there’s any more pressure, but that’s quite a ceiling he’s looking at,” Paddock stated. “But there’s no indication he’s not going to based on what he’s done to date.”

What struck Paddock is Bedard’s skill to ship within the large second, equivalent to when the Pats traveled to play the Hitman in Calgary earlier than 17,000 followers on the NHL Flames’ residence. After forcing additional time by scoring with 33 seconds left, Bedard scored the lone shootout purpose in a 6-5 win.

“I remember somebody from our league office told me afterward, basically the crowd knew he was going to score, and they wanted him to score in that shootout,” Paddock stated. “And it was in Calgary.”

The solely disappointment for Paddock was the Pats’ season ending with a loss in Game 7 of their first-round sequence towards Saskatoon. It would have ended a lot earlier if not for Bedard, who completed with 10 objectives and 20 factors.

The mere likelihood to teach Bedard is one thing that Paddock, at 69, gained’t ever overlook.

“I’m not quite sure how to describe it, but it’s sort of the cherry on top to have the opportunity to be around and working with a young man, a young player like this,” Paddock stated.

Bedard, meantime, is in no hurry to hurry the draft course of or predict who would possibly choose him.

“Obviously, you want to see what happens and whatnot, but I’m just trying to enjoy everything that goes along with it,” he stated.