Connor Bedard stats good... but...

[Hisch13r]

This is stupid

 

[SwedishFire]

He doesn't have a point when he says Stankoven will be better or compares Bedard to Yakupov. When someone's post uses those types of comparisons/examples to prove the point they're trying to make, then they don't have a point.

Calm down. He aint gonna be Yakupov..

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Calm down. He aint gonna be Yakupov..

I'm pretty calm. I'm not the one spamming this thread with over the top posts because I'm angry that Bedard's getting a lot of hype.

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

I'm pretty calm. I'm not the one spamming this thread with over the top posts because I'm angry that Bedard's getting a lot of hype.

They did the same thing for the guy in your profile pic, and still haven't stopped lol. As much love as the kid will get from TSN, Pierre McGuire and a legion of fans....there will always be those same people, hating him for simply being good and getting attention. Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd, good or bad.

 

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Bedard was incredible against lesser teams but much less so against the U.S. and the Czechs. This should give everyone pause as to his ultimate upside in the NHL where the opposition he will be facing each night will be more U.S. / Czech than Austria/Germany. Once again one should be cautious, if not wary, of the prevailing consensus.

It gives me zero pause, and here is why.

In a tournament like this, players are thrown together and have a very short timeframe to create any kind of line chemistry. Anyone who has played any amount of significant hockey knows how difficult it is to play with new linemates, let alone one who are several steps behind you mentally. That will get exposed against well-coached teams with decent defensemen, especially a 17 year old.

Give him a season with someone who can learn to zig when he zags or who has a complementary role, and he will be absolutely lights out. As a 17 year old he broke all those records basically on his own. As good as Stank was at times, he is not an NHL linemate who understands a role and the flow of his teammate's game. Just wait.

 

[Hisch13r]

"Bedard's too small to dominate the NHL and to play center" like holy f*** guys did we not go through this shit literally just a few years ago with Hughes?

Also using other guys that have dominated the WJC and didn't amount to much and comparing them to Bedard is dumb. Almost all of those players were doing that in their D+1 and D+2's as 18 and 19 year olds. Bedard is 17 and still closer to his 17th birthday than his 18th.

 

[centipede2233]

Crosby or mcdavid didn’t have the impact bedard had in their respective draft eligible world tournaments. How bedard translates to NHL success I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet he is as good as matthews, that’s his floor.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Hopefully, he hits his potential.

Team Canada could one day roll out McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and Bedard.

 

[Nathaniel Skywalker]

A 17 year old scoring 23 points in 7 games won't be seen again if ever. Sit back and wait. This kid Is gonna be a doozy

 

[cupface52]

"Bedard's too small to dominate the NHL and to play center" like holy f*** guys did we not go through this shit literally just a few years ago with Hughes?

Also using other guys that have dominated the WJC and didn't amount to much and comparing them to Bedard is dumb. Almost all of those players were doing that in their D+1 and D+2's as 18 and 19 year olds. Bedard is 17 and still closer to his 17th birthday than his 18th.

The worst is when people talk about size and are refering to height, especially since you don't need to worry about Pronger physics anymore. As a forward there's only one time when size is a big advantage and that's laying out big hits, and maybe along the boards. Hockey isn't basketball or football where height matters, it's much more similar to soccer where the GOAT is 5'7.

Smaller players are shiftier and more agile, better stick handlers, have better endurance.

 

[jackp0t]

2 parts to the story. The record breaking and the fact that he is 17 years old.

All the elite players are not playing in this tournament at 18-19 because they are in the NHL.

Not sure what you dont understand, this has been mentionned 50 times during the tournament.

 

[wetcoast]

He’s incredible but this is the world juniors, not the NHL. Eberle looked like a lock to be an elite point producer during his run too. His size will hurt him. He also tries to do too much and has looked bad in his own end or on turnovers.

Eberle didn't look like he would be a a lock to be an elite point producer in the NHL unless you were only stat watching.

Eberle has actually met career expectations of a guy taken 22nd overall in his draft year as a complimentary scoring winger who doesn't really add any value aside from his offense.

Bedard is going to be an NHL superstar.

 

[Peiskos]

His floor is a franchise player, his ceiling is generational superstar. What he's accomplished as a 17 year old is unprecedented. When we look back in a decade we'll see how Canada won b2b golds at the world juniors and it will mainly be attributed to how we had Bedard for both those years and how unfair it was.

 

[Janvonpobben]

Bedard sucked against better competition. Peter Forsberg was much better.

 

[ijuka]

Bedard sucked against better competition. Peter Forsberg was much better.

How good was Forsberg at 17?

 

[OKR]

His floor is a franchise player, his ceiling is generational superstar. What he's accomplished as a 17 year old is unprecedented. When we look back in a decade we'll see how Canada won b2b golds at the world juniors and it will mainly be attributed to how we had Bedard for both those years and how unfair it was.

Nobodies floor is a ”franchise player”, no matter how well they do prior to stepping in to the league.

That literally means there is 0% chance he does worse than a franchise player.

 

[Boonk]

Stankoven is listed as 5'7", but a deep dive on him led me to believe he is really 5'6".

Bedard is listed as 5'10". Now anyone with a pair of eyes can tell you he is an inch taller than Stankoven. He isn't anywhere near 5'10". He looks tiny on the ice.

He doesn't move like Stankoven either. Guys their size make it in the NHL if they can move like Stankoven can. Speedy, agile. Enough speed to burn defenders wide.

Bedard can not beat anyone wide. Czech's easily pushed him into the boards every time he skates up the ice with the puck. He feasted on relegation teams with players who will never sniff the NHL. Won't even sniff any of the top international leagues either.

He is crafty. He has an amazing shot. Reminds me of Yakupov. They play similarly, with Bedard being a significantly better passer and Yakupov having the faster feet.

Two small, stocky guys. Bedard being significantly smaller.

Unless he can start skating like Stankoven, he is going to be like a litany of other players who were able to dominate junior hockey due to a specific skillset that doesn't translate to the NHL whatsoever.

Nobody as small and as slow as him is making an impact at the NHL level. The Czech junior team that may have 2-3 NHL bound players on it was able to skate with him and turn him into a nothing player when the going got tough.

I like his game, don't think I'm slandering him for no good reason. I've watched all his hilites 10x over to see that incredible shot of his. I don't see how you can watch this tournament, at least the games against real opposition, and think he is anywhere near becoming a superstar level player. He isn't even in the Eichel/Matthews tier of player for my money. Not big, fast, or strong enough to ever get there.

I truly believe Stankoven has more potential to end up as a good player in the show.

All that watching and you still write this terrible opinion lol

 

[Janvonpobben]

How good was Forsberg at 17?

Better than any finnish player

 

[GreenLine]

It's pretty sad that it's an Edmonton fan desperately trying to downplay the achievements of this kid as if it somehow diminishes McDavid.

 

[oldwpgjet]

Yeah, we were. There are probably 1000 conversations about this from back in the day.

I disagree, Ovi was a great player back then and still is but most seasons averaged around a point per game, had a few really good seasons and a few less than a point per game seasons. Again, great stats especially consistently over 18 seasons but not considered in the generational talent category 10 years ago. Tons of guys that have produced the same but Ovi has done it his entire career and continues to which is basically what I said in the first place.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Size hasn’t stopped great players from being great.

Every time a thread like this starts with a poorly informed take like OP's, an angel dies.

 

[daver]

Nobodies floor is a ”franchise player”, no matter how well they do prior to stepping in to the league.

That literally means there is 0% chance he does worse than a franchise player.

Ok, his floor is high school hockey coach/beer league superstar.

 

[OKR]

Ok, his floor is high school hockey coach/beer league superstar.

Even that’s more of a realistic prediction.

 

[Auston Marlander]

He’s incredible but this is the world juniors, not the NHL. Eberle looked like a lock to be an elite point producer during his run too. His size will hurt him. He also tries to do too much and has looked bad in his own end or on turnovers.

He's 17. I agree he stays out too long, is lazy getting back and not great defensively. But he's the most talented 17 year old we've seen in a long time.

He will get a bit bigger, and if he has the drive he'll get better defensively. He will sit between McDavid and Matthews in a few years.

 

[Zap Rowsdower]

He'll drop the 2nd round in the draft because he's so tiny