Connor Bedard’s journey from junior phenom to top NHL draft pick nearly complete
Connor Bedard was about to fly to a sunny destination.
He wasn’t happy about it.
With minor hockey tryouts just around the corner, Bedard — the expected No. 1 pick in next week’s NHL draft, but at the time just a youngster with big dreams — reluctantly agreed to his family’s Hawaiian vacation .
There was a caveat: a few extra items needed to be packed, namely some sticks and his inline skates.
“He didn’t really want to go,” Tom Bedard, Connor’s father, recalled with a laugh. “Only 10 days away or something, but for him that was a lot.
“Not enthusiastic.”
As the Bedards rolled to the airport, the stick bag that would be loaded onto a plane bound for a chain of Pacific islands raised some eyebrows.
And once they arrived in paradise – Tom, wife Melanie, daughter Madisen and Connor – the hockey-crazy youngster quickly laced up and hit the seawall.
“He flew around,” said Tom Bedard in an interview with The Canadian Press. “We ended up getting our beach time. It was a fun trip…once he cooled down a bit.”
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The family is about to embark on a new journey.
Connor Bedard, the 17-year-old Regina Pats phenom who has been turning heads since he was 11 and tore the Western Hockey League to pieces this season with 143 points in 57 games, is the safest bet to be selected as No. 1. by Chicago on the NHL draft in Nashville on Wednesday.
“A lot of work went into it,” Bedard said. “It’s quite exciting.”
The next Connor?
The top North American skater, who took home a boatload of individual accolades in 2022-2023, has drawn comparisons to the game’s generational talents, including Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
“Pretty cool to hear that, but I don’t pay attention,” Bedard said. “I’m my own person, I’m my own player. I’m going to try to make my own way. Hopefully I’m as good or half as good.
That dedication is something that Tom Bedard saw early on – even before Connor was told he would have to level up once he enrolled in minor hockey.
“Always all in to practice or play,” said Tom. “It’s the work ethic and the interest in the game, and the interest in getting better.
“Just what he likes to do.”
Then there was the time Connor broke his right hand – the lower hand when holding a stick – but he continued to practice with one arm until he healed.
Some children would have been on the couch for two months. But not Connor Bedard.
“It didn’t surprise me,” said Tom. “That’s exactly what he does. He wants to skate, he wants to play.”
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Exceptional talent
When you’re so good at something, it’s easy to understand why.
The first person to be awarded exceptional standing at age 15 to play in the WHL, Bedard was in a two-horse race with Adam Fantilli to be the top pick when both suited Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship.
By the time the holiday tournament was over, there was little doubt as to which player would be called first in June, and it’s not like Fantilli had backed off.
It’s that Bedard, who rewrote record books thanks to his vision, bull’s-eye and flair for the dramatic, was a breathtakingly elite in leading the country to gold and grabbing MVP honors.
And to be clear, it’s not just the talents of North Vancouver, BC’s on-ice produce that are drawing attention.
“Continues to excel in all areas,” said NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr, who also noted Bedard’s leadership ability. “It’s the intangibles that can really make a superstar.”
Marr first saw Bedard in person at the Under-18 World Championships. Canada was up against one of the minor nations, and the NHL’s top scout told Bedard afterwards that the player seemed to think it was going to be easy.
“I think he was surprised by the level of intensity,” Marr said. “The next game you could see that he had a completely different approach.”
Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock got to see Bedard up close during his three years with Regina, including a rookie campaign cut short by COVID-19.
“I certainly didn’t take him for granted,” said Paddock, who spent parts of eight seasons behind NHL benches. “I think we’ll look back on it with more fondness as time goes on and he’s doing what people expect him to do at the next level.”
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Deceptive shot
The five-foot, 185-pound Bedard dominated headlines leading up to this design, impressing his contemporaries in the process.
“He’s been at this for a long time,” said Matteo Mann, a defender in this year’s class. “Really advanced in the development of its physical properties.”
For all skill, Mann added that many observers don’t realize how unique Bedard’s shot — with a longer stick than most players of his size — is when it comes to manipulating angle.
“Everybody knows he’s going to pull and drag that puck,” Mann said. “He brings it in so many times it misses your stick… it’s deceptive.”
Tom Bedard has watched his son develop that, and every other aspect of his game, as he struggled to overcome the pressures of teenage superstardom.
“A long journey,” he said. “It’s hard to put it all together … five, six years ago he was just little. It’s hard to wrap your head around it.”
Family tragedy
The Bedard family is about to share a special moment in Tennessee, but one seat will be empty.
Connor’s grandfather and Tom’s father, Garth, were killed in a car accident in BC in April 2021. Connor scored two goals in the Pats’ next game.
“He’d be very proud of Connor,” said Tom. “It is special to see that he has reached this point. It is such a shame that he cannot be there.
“We just hope he’s watching him.”
Connor and his father have had many conversations about the game. But they never looked back much and certainly never looked too far ahead.
But a draft moment that was once far off in the distance now rests just over the horizon.
“You never think about this happening,” said Tom Bedard. “Always the next team, the next tournament, the next whatever.
“Now you’re suddenly here.”
Ready to embark on a journey to the NHL – a journey Connor Bedard is eager to take.
