Shane Wright vs Connor Bedard

[CutOnDime97]

So I know it's very early on but I assume this will be an ongoing discussion so why not start it now.

Which will be the better NHLer? How high do you think their ceilings are?

Both will be in action for Team Canada at the U18s next week.

IIHF - Schedule and Results 2021 IIHF ICE HOCKEY U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Compare Players - Elite Prospects

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[Gold Standard]

Yet to be determined...but Bedard looks mighty mighty exceptional. I think we got to give it a full year, a full schedule before we get a clearer picture as to which one of these 2 will be better. Hopefully by the fall we're allllll back to normal.

but am looking forward to seeing these two in action at the U18 tourney.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

NHL 22 personal database :

Shane Wright Franchise Medium
Connor Bedard Bedard Franchise High

 

[EXTRAS]

Wright just over ppg as a 16 year old.

Bedard close to 2 ppg as a 15 year old.

Points aren't everything, but this seems like it shouldn't be close...

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Wright just over ppg as a 17 year old.

Bedard close to 2 ppg as a 15 year old.

Points aren't everything, but this seems like it shouldn't be close...

Wright was over a ppg as a 15 year old as well.

Bedard is going to destroy this poll, just like Michkov destroyed Bedard when Bedard hadn't played all year. The reality is both are amazing prospects and its too far out to really tell, I would take Bedard by a hair but its really close. Wright does everything so well I think he can be an elite 2-way C in the league, he models his game after Barzal and I can see him becoming that good if not better as a pro.

Fwiw Tavares destroyed the likes of Stamkos and Kane in similar polls over a decade ago on here, all 3 became great players but he has probably had the "worst" career of the 3.

 

[Gold Standard]

Wright just over ppg as a 17 year old.

Bedard close to 2 ppg as a 15 year old.

Points aren't everything, but this seems like it shouldn't be close...

Where do you get this stat ppg as a 17 year old? He hasn't played a game in a year. He just turned 17 in January. played last year as a 15/16 year old.

 

[EXTRAS]

Where do you get this stat ppg as a 17 year old? He hasn't played a game in a year. He just turned 17 in January. played last year as a 15/16 year old.

Whoops!

But bedards 15 year season still destroys Wright's 15/16 in ppg.

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Whoops!

But bedards 15 year season still destroys Wright's 15/16 in ppg.

Bedard was extremely impressive but:

1 - sample size
2 - WHL is considered a bit weaker this year with no euros and some top players going elsewhere, and 15 year olds being allowed to play the entire shortened season.

Wright out produced McDavid at 15, and was looking down 40 goals as an exceptional player before the covid stop, he had something like 20 goals in his last 26 games. Bedard may be ahead but "destroying" may be a bit much.

 

[Gold Standard]

Whoops!

But bedards 15 year season still destroys Wright's 15/16 in ppg.

I'm liking Bedard's 20 games..liking it a lot. but we're not exactly comparing apples to apples. I'll wait until we start a normal season in the fall and get 30 games in before casting my vote.

 

[nergish]

Impossible to tell at this stage.

Shane Wright is more physically mature, and seems like a sure bet. I get major Mackinnon vibes watching him out there. Maybe Mackinnon-lite.
Bedard just has a magical quality where the play finds him, and with his release he can score from anywhere. He is not a big kid, though.

As a BC guy, I gotta go with Bedard. He's a winner, and the point totals just can't be ignored.
But I do see a world where he ends up being more of a Duchene-type if he doesn't get bigger/stronger. Though in Minor Hockey he looked like Ovechkin amongst his peers.

 

[PlayersLtd]

The replies will be unfair to Wright as he hasn't played this year whereas the torrid start to Bedard's WHL career is so fresh to everyone, that's not to say the question shouldn't be asked.

I am by no means as knowledgeable as the prospect fiends here but to my limited viewing it is akin to a Crosby vs. McDavid debate and it falls in favour of Wright for the time being. Wright appears to be a more complete player, with a generational hockey IQ and has a game (and attitude) that is mature beyond his years. But Bedard has flashier tools and might have more game breaking skills.

I lean toward Wright however because I sense he possesses that rare ability to will his team to win and make everyone around him better by osmosis, a trait that Crosby has over McDavid, hence the analogy.

Time will tell.

 

[PlayersLtd]

double post.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

I don't think Bedard will be McDavid-level, but I do think this could be Kucherov (Bedard) vs Mackinnon (Wright) at their best. Which IMO and positions aside is a very close matchup all things considered since both players can do it all offensively and can perform at an elite level in the playoffs.

Recency bias aside, this should actually be close knowing what we know today. Between Bedard and Wright, I think Bedard will be a better NHLer, but both can sway back and forth depending on the year.

I'm just glad they're both Canadians.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

Shane Wright is a Stamkos/Tavares talent, while Bédard could very well be a McDavid/Crosby level.

Not close for me.

 

[Aceboogie]

The replies will be unfair to Wright as he hasn't played this year whereas the torrid start to Bedard's WHL career is so fresh to everyone, that's not to say the question shouldn't be asked.

I am by no means as knowledgeable as the prospect fiends here but to my limited viewing it is akin to a Crosby vs. McDavid debate and it falls in favour of Wright for the time being. Wright appears to be a more complete player, with a generational hockey IQ and has a game (and attitude) that is mature beyond his years. But Bedard has flashier tools and might have more game breaking skills.

I lean toward Wright however because I sense he possesses that rare ability to will his team to win and make everyone around him better by osmosis, a trait that Crosby has over McDavid, hence the analogy.

Time will tell.

What in the hell?

 

[Plastic Joseph]

Wright just over ppg as a 16 year old.

Bedard close to 2 ppg as a 15 year old.

Points aren't everything, but this seems like it shouldn't be close...

This would have been Wrights 16 yo season, he had to be granted exceptional status to be eligible to play last year as a 15yo. I realize he was 16 at the end of the season but he was still 15 for most of his games and by all league age standards he was 15.

 

[PlayersLtd]

What in the hell?

What? Are you disagreeing that Crosby can will a team to victory better than McDavid?

 

[WingsMJN2965]

Bedard is 5' 10" 180 lbs as a 15 year old?

Holy shit.

 

[TheKrebsCycle]

Bedard is 5' 10" 180 lbs as a 15 year old?

Holy shit.

Those numbers both look high . Especially the weight . I'd guess more in the 160 range but the listings seem to be all over the place

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Both are world-class.

But I have Bedard as a better prospect. This has been the case even before his WHL season. He's got game-breaking skill and a feel for the game that comes around rarely.

Wright is brilliant in his own right and is definitely a franchise-caliber talent like MacKinnon/Stamkos/Matthews.

 

[Big Phil]

Bedard so far. But one thing for sure, we missed what should have been a heck of a developing season by Shane Wright. I'd like to see what he does in his draft year next season in the OHL. The under 18s will be interesting to see. But for all we know both of these guys could be in the WJC tournament next year. Bedard certainly has more of that generational feel to him. Both will likely be #1 picks in their drafts if I were to guess.

 

[Daximus]

Why didn't Wright play in another league this year? Seems like losing an entire year of developement isn't a good thing? Probably could have played Junior A somewhere or USHL at the very least?

 

[Gold Standard]

Why didn't Wright play in another league this year? Seems like losing an entire year of developement isn't a good thing? Probably could have played Junior A somewhere or USHL at the very least?

We'll soon have an answer to that. If he can lead the U18 team, along with Bedard, to a gold medal game getting 12-14 pts on the way, then not playing the year had no impact on his development.

 

[kyle44]

We'll soon have an answer to that. If he can lead the U18 team, along with Bedard, to a gold medal game getting 12-14 pts on the way, then not playing the year had no impact on his development.

This is really arbitrary. The kid hasn't played a game Since March 8th, 2020, and will be coming off a quarantine period. If he somehow doesn't manage to put up your randomly-generated point total, I fail to see how one can automatically determine his development was impacted. Conversely, if he piles up the points against Latvia, Belarus and Switzerland I'm not really sure what that tells us either. Its very hard to draw conclusions based on one tournament, even under normal circumstances.

 

[Gold Standard]

This is really arbitrary. The kid hasn't played a game Since March 8th, 2020, and will be coming off a quarantine period. If he somehow doesn't manage to put up your randomly-generated point total, I fail to see how one can automatically determine his development was impacted. Conversely, if he piles up the points against Latvia, Belarus and Switzerland I'm not really sure what that tells us either. Its very hard to draw conclusions based on one tournament, even under normal circumstances.

Not completely arbitrary. That would be my reasonable expectation for an exceptional player if he had played all year, including playing teams like Latvia and Belarus. It's not like I'd be expecting him to put up 20+ points if he had played all year. ES players don't get to have off games/tournaments. They get evaluated based on that. And it's not like I'm going to be overly critical, or critical at all for that matter, if he doesn't light it up. And I don't think his development will be impacted long-term. He'll catch up if his development was impacted by taking the year off.