C Connor Bedard - Regina Pats, WHL (2023 Draft) Part 3

[golffuul]

Huh? His double underage season at the WJC was better than anything we’ve seen recently from… anyone? Most of the stars didn’t even play this young.

He was also one of canadas top two players at the U18 two years ago when he was only 15.

I was noticing that as the tournament went along, he seemed to not be as involved in the offense. Part of that was the Grieg injury forcing lineup changes and splitting up he and MacTavish, but he was also making pretty bad reads when in an offensive set. I'm not saying he's not going to be a good/great player. Just saying that I'm not seeing the "generational" tag that people are attributing to him.

 

[FDBluth]

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A bit of stat cherry-picking but interesting nonetheless, if you take Bédard’s last 7 games at the WJC for a d-1 (the length of a full tournament), he’s out scoring everyone not named Wayne Gretzky

wow I have not thought of the name Jordan Schroeder in a loooonggg ass time. He's still only 31 too

 

[Gold Standard]

Technically this is his D-2 WJHC. He will dominate the Christmas tournament in his D-1 tournament.

For comparisons we should look at the 2005 team where Crosby in his draft year was 4th in scoring behind Bergeron, Getz and Carter. I know that was a special team because of a lockout....but this team was similar with McTavish, Johnson et al.

Sure...Bedard didn't dominate....so what. He just turned 17.

Not even close. If the 12-13 other players that likely would have made the team accepted invites instead of declining, the team would have been special. It was a pretty average team, all things considered, for a Team Canada U20 group.... but good enough to take home the hardware. That's all that matters.

Here's an interesting factoid. McDavid's first U20 experience he was 3 weeks, give or take, shy of his 17th. B-Day. He didn't too well. Bedard's first U20 experience (forgetting the winter cancellation) he had just turned 17 a few weeks prior to.... and Bedard delivered.

 

[nbwingsfan]

I was noticing that as the tournament went along, he seemed to not be as involved in the offense. Part of that was the Grieg injury forcing lineup changes and splitting up he and MacTavish, but he was also making pretty bad reads when in an offensive set. I'm not saying he's not going to be a good/great player. Just saying that I'm not seeing the "generational" tag that people are attributing to him.

Yet his offense was still better than McDavid and Crosbys were at 16…

Why is that?

 

[ijuka]

Yet his offense was still better than McDavid and Crosbys were at 16…

Why is that?

Well one reason is that his team here was much stronger offensively than either McDavid's or Crosby's.

Also, just because a player is better younger doesn't mean he's better in NHL. See Tavares. Bedard's main projection is his shot, but how much will a shot do, realistically? Matthews for example isn't all about his shot - his main thing is that he's the best in NHL at getting high quality scoring chances - he's an xGF machine. The shot itself being good isn't as important. Bedard's 5'9", can he do the same?

 

[kyle44]

Well one reason is that his team here was much stronger offensively than either McDavid's or Crosby's.

McDavid at 16 played on a pretty awful team by Canadian world junior standards; however, Crosby's team averaged 5.83 goals per game compared to 5.85 for this years team. I wouldn't exactly call that much stronger offensively.

 

[Jukurit]

How does the overall quality of this tournament compare to 2014 and 2004? No russia and a lot of missing players.

 

[kyle44]

Yeah...his shot is ++ for sure. But his skating isn't super great, yet, and I wouldn't rate his IQ as being really high, either. Granted I've only seen him play in IIHF formats, but I thought that this WJC exposed him as not being able to play as well against players that are a year older, which, he will almost always be in that position for the next 10 years or more.

But I agree...if he can figure out his way around the ice and not get himself stuck trying to play a more perimeter game, he should be ok. I also worry that he will get a lot of slashes from NHL players and that could hurt his release since he relies a lot on his arms to generate the high level of torque that he does. A few slashes to the wrist and forearms could have some serious injury potential for him. But he should get stronger as he gets older, so hopefully that won't occur. I will say that this WJC didn't really sell me on him as a generational player.

Most of the players in this tournament are 2 and 3 years older than him (02s and 03s). Those extra two/three development years are massive at this age. There's a reason 16 year olds (17 year olds for this most recent tournament) often struggle to stand out at this level.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Well one reason is that his team here was much stronger offensively than either McDavid's or Crosby's.

Also, just because a player is better younger doesn't mean he's better in NHL. See Tavares. Bedard's main projection is his shot, but how much will a shot do, realistically? Matthews for example isn't all about his shot - his main thing is that he's the best in NHL at getting high quality scoring chances - he's an xGF machine. The shot itself being good isn't as important. Bedard's 5'9", can he do the same?

If you think Bedard just projects as a shooter then you’re not worth responding to

 

[ijuka]

If you think Bedard just projects as a shooter then you’re not worth responding to

That's his main projectable asset, indeed. I however don't think he projects as someone who gets tons of prime scoring chances like Matthews. This already was something Matthews had during his pre-draft advanced stats from NLA, he had insane ratio of shots from the best scoring sectors.

And since the comparison is McDavid if it's a generational discussion, If we compare Bedard's hands, skating, passing, vision etc. to McDavid's he's not on the same level in any of them, and he also loses significantly in size. Hence the focus on shot, which is much better than McDavid's was.

Even at WJCs, I didn't exactly see Bedard getting to the high danger areas.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Matthews is not a good comparison.

I know he says that he watches all of Matthews goals, but he doesn't play like him.

How many players do you think wanted to be Ovechkin and couldn't? Many of them were probably very good, but they weren't Ovechkin.

I don't think not being physically like Matthews and being able to get to the same tough areas with size and strength means he can't be generational, but I also think those aspects are a limiting factor towards if he will be that.

 

[RedHawkDown]

And the routine nitpicking of the next hockey phenom begins, as expected. Same shit happened with McDavid in his draft year with a huge chunk of people on these boards insisting Eichel would be better.

Bedard will be better than Matthews. He will demolish the WHL this year.

 

[Rengorlex]

Bedard will be better than Matthews. He will demolish the WHL this year.

So how good do you think Bedard will be if you think he is better than the Hart/Lindsay winner who scored 60 goals in 73 games and has elite two-way game?

 

[J bo Jeans]

Watch him put up better numbers in his draft year at the WJC than Mcdavid and Crosby, and its not gonna be close.

 

[surixon]

That's his main projectable asset, indeed. I however don't think he projects as someone who gets tons of prime scoring chances like Matthews. This already was something Matthews had during his pre-draft advanced stats from NLA, he had insane ratio of shots from the best scoring sectors.

And since the comparison is McDavid if it's a generational discussion, If we compare Bedard's hands, skating, passing, vision etc. to McDavid's he's not on the same level in any of them, and he also loses significantly in size. Hence the focus on shot, which is much better than McDavid's was.

Even at WJCs, I didn't exactly see Bedard getting to the high danger areas.

Good thing Bedard is a high volume shooter. While he may not get into those scoring positions as often as some his elite shot and high volume of shots he takes will offset that to a large degree.

He also has very projectable skating, hands and compete. His playmaking is also very good.

 

[RedHawkDown]

So how good do you think Bedard will be if you think he is better than the Hart/Lindsay winner who scored 60 goals in 73 games and has elite two-way game?

I think he steps up in big games and will have a killer instinct that matthews so far lacks. I think he will be a worse scorer but a better playmaker and a much better and faster skater. I think he will score 85-100 points most years barring injury with 110ish every year in his prime. I believe he is a better overall offensive talent than Matthews.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

So how good do you think Bedard will be if you think he is better than the Hart/Lindsay winner who scored 60 goals in 73 games and has elite two-way game?

Good enough to win at least one (1) round in the NHL playoffs

 

[Rengorlex]

Watch him put up better numbers in his draft year at the WJC than Mcdavid and Crosby, and its not gonna be close.

What he does in the WHL is more important. If he puts up 2.5+ p/gp then he's a generational prospect.

 

[Bubbles]

Mods, is there a part 4? This thread's getting cluttered.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I love how the knock on him is that he won't be McDavid haha, I'd take that as a compliment at this point. Nobody is

 

[Oddbob]

So how good do you think Bedard will be if you think he is better than the Hart/Lindsay winner who scored 60 goals in 73 games and has elite two-way game?

Matthews is not elite in his own end.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Matthews is not elite in his own end.

He’s competent defensively but if you listen to the chatter from certain people it’s like he’s the second coming of Patrice Bergeron, which is ridiculous. That being said, I think Bédard is better at the same age, but development is not linear and Matthews has a package more suited to the NHL

 

[nbwingsfan]

And the routine nitpicking of the next hockey phenom begins, as expected. Same shit happened with McDavid in his draft year with a huge chunk of people on these boards insisting Eichel would be better.

Bedard will be better than Matthews. He will demolish the WHL this year.

Yeah I remember posts about McDavid “just being really fast” and won’t be able to do what he does against faster competition

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Matthews is not elite in his own end.

No kidding
Only the biggest Leafs homers would make such a dumb claim

 

[VictorLustig]

Yeah I remember posts about McDavid “just being really fast” and won’t be able to do what he does against faster competition

Find me one of those posts please.