Connor Bedard

Connor Bedard is a Canadian hockey player who is widely regarded as the best prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft. He has been dominating the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the international stage with his exceptional skills and scoring ability. In this blog post, we will look at some of his impressive stats and achievements throughout his career so far.

Bedard started playing in the WHL at the age of 15, becoming the first player to be granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada to do so. He immediately made an impact, scoring 12 goals and 16 assists in 15 games with the Regina Pats in the 2020-21 season. He also represented Canada at the 2021 World U18 Championship, where he led the tournament in scoring with 14 points in seven games and helped his team win the gold medal.

The following season, Bedard took his game to another level, breaking several records and winning multiple awards. He 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. He also won the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL Player of the Year and was named to the WHL East First All-Star Team.

Bedard ended his WHL career with an even **1.00 goals per game average**. The 2023 prospect scored **134 goals in 134 career games** in the league, the fourth-highest average ever by a player who skated in at least 200 WHL games. He also concluded his WHL career with **271 points in 134 games**. That gives him a career average of **2.022 points per game**, an incredible average. Bedard’s career PPG rate places 10th in league history and the highest that the league has seen since the early 1980s.

The 2023 World Juniors were seen as Bedard’s biggest test for his draft year. He did not disappoint, as he led Canada to a silver medal and became the youngest player ever to win the MVP award at the tournament. He also broke Wayne Gretzky’s record for most points by a 16-year-old at the World Juniors, scoring **18 points in seven games**. He had four hat tricks, including one in the gold medal game against Russia, where he scored all of Canada’s goals in a 5-4 loss.

Bedard is a certified sniper who already owns one of the best releases in the world at just 17 years old. The team picking him in the 2023 draft has a chance to add a cornerstone franchise piece. Bedard is not only the top player in a loaded 2023 draft class, but he is viewed as the NHL’s next generational talent. There hasn’t been this much hype about an NHL prospect since Connor McDavid in 2015.

IF THE BLACKHAWKS FAIL TO TAKE CONNER BEDARD IN THE NHL DRAFT AT #1, I WILL BE BURNING LOTS OF HOCKEY CARDS!!!