(WGR 550) - We're about a week away from the 2023 NHL Draft getting underway with Round 1 on Wednesday from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
While the biggest storyline of this year's draft may be what happens with Russian winger Matvei Michkov in the first round, the next notable headline is certainly Connor Bedard and what he will bring to the table when the Chicago Blackhawks (likely) draft him first overall.
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Chicago won the luck of the draw back in early May when the lottery balls fell into place, giving the Blackhawks the combination to grant them the No. 1 overall pick over the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks lucked out in the end by winning the draw for the second overall selection, where they will likely select Hobey Baker Award winner Adam Fantilli.
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Bedard is widely seen as the best prospect to enter the NHL Draft since Connor McDavid was selected first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. The way he dominates the game of hockey at all levels, his incredible skill set, his work habits, his tenaciousness. Bedard has all the makings of being the next generational talent to go atop the NHL Draft.
While the term "generational" may get thrown around a bit much when it comes to prospects in the National Hockey League, Bedard fits the bill as not just a player that can turn the tide for a franchise, but that transcends the game of hockey from Day 1.
McDavid has certainly lived up to the hype as a generational talent in the NHL, along with others to go No. 1 overall like Sidney Crosby (2005), Alex Ovechkin (2004) and Mario Lemieux (1984).
As Crosby and Ovechkin head into the later portions of their careers - not to say they are showing any signs of slowing down - McDavid is ascending into the prime of his career at the age of 26. He's won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player twice, and could very well be in line to be the unanimous winner of the award again in 2023.
How close could we see Bedard reaching the success levels of McDavid once he hits his prime in the NHL? That's for time to tell, but we can take a look back at what McDavid was able to do leading up to his draft year that made him such a tantalizing prospect, and compare what he accomplished to Bedard to try and get a better outlook going forward.
Statistics:
Let's first take a look at the career numbers both Bedard and McDavid posted in the junior hockey careers:
BEDARD (WHL):
Regular season:
- Games played: 134
- Goals: 134
- Assists: 137
- Points: 271
- Points per-game: 2.02
- Penalty minutes: 110
- Plus/minus: +48
Playoffs:
- Games played: 7
- Goals: 10
- Assists: 10
- Points: 20
- Points per-game: 2.28
- Penalty minutes: 8
- Plus/minus: +8
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MCDAVID (OHL):
Regular season:
- Games played: 166
- Goals: 97
- Assists: 188
- Points: 285
- Points per-game: 1.72
- Penalty minutes: 104
- Plus/minus: +83
Playoffs:
- Games played: 34
- Goals: 25
- Assists: 43
- Points: 68
- Points per-game: 2.00
- Penalty minutes: 14
- Plus/minus: +11
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Now let's compare both players' draft year statistics in their draft year:
BEDARD (2022-23):
Regular season:
- Games played: 57
- Goals: 71
- Assists: 72
- Points: 143
- Points per-game: 2.51
- Penalty minutes: 62
- Plus/minus: +39
Playoffs:
- Games played: 7
- Goals: 10
- Assists: 10
- Points: 20
- Points per-game: 2.28
- Penalty minutes: 8
- Plus/minus: +8
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MCDAVID (2014-15):
Regular season:
- Games played: 47
- Goals: 44
- Assists: 76
- Points: 120
- Points per-game: 2.55
- Penalty minutes: 48
- Plus/minus: +60
Playoffs:
- Games played: 20
- Goals: 21
- Assists: 28
- Points: 49
- Points per-game: 2.40
- Penalty minutes: 12
- Plus/minus: +12
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Finally, here's a look at the career stats for both players in international competition ahead of their draft year:
BEDARD:
IIHF U-18 World Championship (2021, 2022):
- Games played: 11
- Goals: 13
- Assists: 8
- Points: 21
- Points per-game: 1.91
- Penalty minutes: 6
- Plus/minus: +12
IIHF World Junior Championship (2022, 2023):
- Games played: 16
- Goals: 17
- Assists: 19
- Points: 36
- Points per-game: 2.25
- Penalty minutes: 4
- Plus/minus: +27
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MCDAVID:
IIHF U-18 World Championship (2013):
- Games played: 7
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 6
- Points: 14
- Points per-game: 2.00
- Penalty minutes: 2
- Plus/minus: +8
IIHF World Junior Championship (2014, 2015):
- Games played: 14
- Goals: 4
- Assists: 11
- Points: 15
- Points per-game: 1.07
- Penalty minutes: 4
- Plus/minus: +8
Accolades:
Both players were granted exceptional status as 15-year-olds to play in the Canadian Hockey League. In CHL history, only eight players have ever been granted exceptional status by a panel of officials from Hockey Canada.
McDavid was only the third player back in 2012 to gain exceptional status, while Bedard is the first and only player in the WHL to ever get that distinction.
Here is a list of honors for both players ahead of their draft years:
Bedard:
- 2021 U-18 WC All-Star Team
- 2021 U18 WC Top-Three Player on Team Canada
- 2021 U18 WC Gold Medal
- 2020-21 WHL Most Goals by Rookie (12)
- 2020-21 WHL Most Assists by Rookie (16)
- 2020-21 WHL Most Points by Rookie (28)
- 2020-21 WHL Rookie of the Year (Jim Piggott Trophy)
- 2022 U18 WC Top-Three Player on Team Canada
- 2022 WJC Gold Medal
- 2021-22 WHL (East) First All-Star Team
- 2023 WJC Most Goals (9)
- 2023 WJC Most Assists (14)
- 2023 WJC Most Points (23)
- 2023 WJC Top-Three Player on Team Canada
- 2023 WJC All-Star Team
- 2023 WJC Best Forward
- 2023 WJC Gold Medal
- 2023 WJC Most Valuable Player
- 2022-23 WHL (East) First All-Star Team
- 2022-23 WHL Most Goals
- 2022-23 WHL Most Assists
- 2022-23 WHL Most Points (Bobby Clarke Trophy)
- 2022-23 WHL Player of the Year (Four Broncos Trophy)
- 2022-23 CHL Top Scorer Award
- 2022-23 CHL First All-Star Team
- 2022-23 CHL Top Draft Prospect Award
- 2022-23 CHL Player of the Year
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McDavid:
- 2012-13 OHL First All-Rookie Team
- 2012-13 OHL Most Assists by Rookie (41)
- 2012-13 OHL Rookie of the Year (Emms Family Award)
- 2013 U18 WC Most Goals (8)
- 2013 U18 WC Most Points (14)
- 2013 U18 WC Top-Three Player on Team Canada
- 2013 U18 WC Best Forward
- 2013 U18 WC Gold Medal
- 2013 U18 WC Most Valuable Player
- 2013-14 OHL Most Sportsmanlike Player (William Hanley Trophy)
- 2013-14 OHL Scholastic Player of the Year (Bobby Smith Trophy)
- 2013-14 OHL Second All-Star Team
- 2013-14 CHL Scholastic Player of the Year
- 2015 WJC Most Assists (8)
- 2015 WJC All-Star Team
- 2015 WJC Gold Medal
- 2014-15 OHL First All-Star Team
- 2014-15 OHL Most Outstanding Player (Red Tilson Trophy)
- 2014-15 OHL Playoffs Most Assists (28)
- 2014-15 OHL Playoffs Most Goals (21)
- 2014-15 OHL Playoffs Most Points (49)
- 2014-15 OHL Playoffs MVP (Wayne Gretzky 99 Award)
- 2014-15 OHL Scholastic Player of the Year (Bobby Smith Trophy)
- 2014-15 CHL Scholastic Player of the Year
- 2014-15 CHL Top Prospects Game
- 2014-15 CHL Top Draft Prospect Award
- 2014-15 CHL Player of the Year
Vision:
Both Bedard and McDavid are gifted with incredible vision that allows them to be on top of every play and multiple steps ahead of everyone on the ice. Very rarely do you ever catch either player with their head or eyes looking down at the puck, and allows them to be an absolutely dangerous threat on the rush or in transition.
In addition, their high hockey IQ helps them dictate play when on the ice and in possession of the puck. They can pick the pace up when they see that open ice ahead of them, or they can slow things down when lanes start to get jammed up and play the patience game.
When attacking the opposition, they see the open lanes to take the puck to the net, or take an alternate path of action before finding a teammate right around the net for a scoring chance.
VERDICT: Wash
Puck handling:
Bedard and McDavid are extremely gifted puck handling centers and, again, can dictate the pace of play with their ability to carry the puck.
Not only is it tough to win puck battles with both players because they know how to protect the puck, but they can play around with it like it's attached to the stick on a string. If they catch a defending player in a tough spot or can't necessarily outmuscle the opponent, they have the ability to turn them inside-out by putting the puck through them.
With their soft hands, both players can not only play around with the puck and become dynamic playmakers, but they have that touch around the net to put the puck wherever they need to score goals.
VERDICT: Wash
Passing and shooting:
This is where we start to see some subtle differences between the two players.
Starting with shooting, Bedard has one of the more impressive releases and shots heading into the NHL in quite some time. He wastes no time getting the puck off his stick when he fires a shot on goal, and he's able to pick his spots quite well with his accuracy.
When it comes to shot selection, Bedard's wrist shot is definitely his best asset, but is just as strong and effective when getting letting go of a snap shot or slap shot.
While McDavid maybe doesn't have as quick of a release with his shot, he can still score with the best of them. He has a deceptive shot from anywhere on the ice, especially when he is on fly at full speed on the rush.
Where McDavid, arguably, has the edge over Bedard is his passing. He always seems to find the smallest of passing lanes available to him, and moves the puck with authority to teammates in scoring position. It can be passes in-tight, cross-ice, or passes that stretch the length of the ice.
Bedard has also proven he can move the puck quite well, sharing many similarities to McDavid, but he definitely has more of an instinct to be a shooter more than a passer. That's certainly not a bad thing, though, as it allows him to draw the attention over to him before feeding a teammate for a scoring chance.
VERDICT:
Shooting: Bedard
Passing: McDavid (slightly)
Speed and skating:
Both players are incredibly skilled on their feet with the ability to cut, shift, and work the edges well at top flight. Bedard and McDavid are light on their feet, shifty, and their stride and footwork allow them to generate plenty of acceleration to get to top speed in no time.
While neither player is entirely big nor physical, they both have plenty of strength on their feet to win puck battles, protect the puck, and also generate some power to their game. If they do happen to find themselves getting knocked down, they are quickly back on their feet and back in the play.
In addition, both players are top-notch competitors. Neither Bedard nor McDavid ever take a shift off on the ice, as they will stick with the play no matter which end of the ice the play is taking place in.
However, it is McDavid's speed that allows him to be such a dynamic playmaker on the fly. It's one thing to have the foot speed in general, but when a player can play even faster with the puck on their stick, it's eye-opening. That's the epitome of McDavid's game, as he is, arguably, the fastest player in the game when on the attack.
Although Bedard also takes his game to another level with the puck on his stick, he just doesn't possess the same elite level of speed that McDavid does. He's still a fast player and thinks the game incredibly fast, but he is still just one step behind McDavid.
VERDICT:
Skating: Wash
Speed: McDavid
Final verdict:
It is incredibly difficult to differentiate which prospect was the better prospect heading into their respective draft because they are both elite game-changing centers that had all the tools to become dynamic players at the top level and represent the top talent in the NHL.
When McDavid was playing his junior days in the Ontario Hockey League with the Erie Otters from 2012-15, his teams were often successful and ended up making a couple of deep playoff runs. McDavid played with some exceptionally talented players in his time with Erie, including Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome, Connor Brown, Andre Burakovsky, and others that helped the Otters be a perennial junior team.
Despite that, the attention was always pointed to McDavid every time he took a shift, and for good reason. That's because he was, clear-and-away, the best player on the ice and the league, at the time.
As for Bedard, he did not have that same level of talent around him during his time in the WHL with the Regina Pats. It was him playing at the top of his game, followed by a couple of fellow third-round draft picks of years past other players who may never get a sniff of professional hockey.
In his three seasons with Regina, his first year was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed him to go to Sweden and play with HV-71's junior program for a brief period. Then in Year 2, the Pats were not even a playoff team despite a 100-point season (51+49) in 57 games played.
Where Bedard was able to stand out from McDavid in his years as a prospect was on the international stage with Team Canada. Bedard was, by far, the best performer at the World Juniors in his two tournaments, setting a new Canadian scoring record with 36 points in 16 games played.
In addition, Bedard helped Canada to two-straight gold medals at the World Juniors in 2022 and 2023, whereas McDavid only won one gold medal in 2015. On top of that, Bedard has a World Juniors MVP to his name, while McDavid was MVP of the U-18 World Championship back in 2013.
Heading into the 2023 NHL Draft, many hockey pundits look at what Bedard has done and still won't give him enough respect when comparing him to McDavid. They will point to the fact McDavid dominated amongst his peers in a time where there was more tougher competition in the OHL.
Bedard was just as productive, if not more productive than McDavid over the course of his juniors career heading into his draft year, as well as his World Juniors career. Sure, the WHL this past season may not have seen many players coming close to the skill level of Bedard, but he certainly deserves more respect.
When it comes down to it, though, I still give McDavid the slight advantage over Bedard as the better prospect heading into the NHL Draft. But the gap between the two is not nearly as far as some may consider it.
As we look ahead into the future of the NHL, if Bedard can develop and produce at a level that mirrors McDavid on a year-by-year basis, the league will see something that maybe hasn't been seen since the days Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were dominating the game in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
No matter how you put it, it's going to be fun and exciting to watch. We'll just have to see if the NHL can capitalize on the success of two generational talents taking the league by storm.