Bedard lives up to the hype

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/11/2022 (1440 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you thought Connor Bedard has another year of junior seasoning ahead of him before he moved on to stardom in the NHL, Thursday’s performance at Wayne Fleming Arena should have killed that notion.

The 17-year-old Regina Pats superstar centre, who scored a spectacular goal 10 seconds into the game and added a pair of assists in a 9-5 loss to the Winnipeg Ice, was in a league of his own.

Each time he stepped on the ice, there was an unmistakable murmur of anticipation from the overflow crowd. What would he do next?

At the same time, Winnipeg defenders were edgy — on high alert because Bedard was seemingly a threat to strike from anywhere and at any moment.

Regina general manager and head coach John Paddock has heard the buzz in the building, particularly when the Pats visit rival WHL rinks. He likens the Bedard effect to something he experienced 30 years earlier as head coach of the Winnipeg Jets — the year Teemu Selanne established an NHL rookie record of 76 goals in 84 games.

“It’s commonplace but at the same time there’s this excitement just because of who (Bedard) is,” said Paddock prior to the Pats’ Friday morning practice on the University of Manitoba campus. “It was like that Selanne’s rookie year. There was always a buzz. There was a buzz in the warm-up for Teemu. You could hear them say, ‘There he is.’ And there was excitement in the crowd. It’s happening all the time (for Bedard) and we’re sort of used to it but it’s because you don’t know what he’s going to do next.”

Bedard leads the WHL with 19 goals and 46 points in 21 games, accomplishing that even though the off-ice demands for his time have increased.

The Pats office routinely gets hundreds of autograph requests per month, which he dutifully signs. The club’s play-by-play broadcaster, Dante De Caria, who also handles player media requests, is flooded with up to six legitimate media interview requests per day for their captain.

“With each year the demands are up but I don’t think it’s too much,” said Bedard, now in his third WHL campaign. “The first time I did interviews I was 14 and at first they were a little weird and awkward. I didn’t really know what to say and you learn and it just becomes like a conversation almost.”

The North Vancouver, B.C., product’s demeanor is as relaxed and mature off the ice as he is in the heat of a game with a flock of NHL scouts dissecting his every move.

“It’s pretty chill,” said Bedard. “I think, obviously, it’s a little more chaotic with it being my draft year and everything but it’s been pretty good. It hasn’t even been too busy with that sort of stuff.”

While he appears to have adjusted well to the pressures of stardom, Bedard has also made tactical changes to his game that have made him a better player.

A case in point was Thursday’s opening faceoff where he lost the draw but circled at the red-line, intercepting a breakout pass from an Ice defender before making a quick strike to the Winnipeg net.

“He understands that he’s a step closer to pro and there’s some parts of the game that I’ve really encouraged him to play like he’s a pro,” said Paddock. “On the goal (Thursday) night, he was doing exactly what he’s supposed to do without the puck. It’s hard to get young players to understand that you’ve gotta get the puck back. Every team’s probably a little bit different in how to get it back but follow that plan. Don’t cheat. And he did it to a T.”

Even with Bedard’s frequent heroics, the youthful Pats, 9-10-1-1 and seventh in the Eastern Conference entering Friday’s action, will have to grind to qualify for one eight playoff spots. The Ice exposed that vulnerablity Thursday, snapping a 4-4 tie with five goals in the third period.

“They’re probably the most skilled team in the in the country and you give them chances in the slot or prime scoring chances, they’re gonna put those in,” said Bedard. “I thought for first first 40 (minutes) — they got a couple of goals on the power play — we were playing well and then in the third, obviously we had some breakdowns and you know they’re gonna capitalize on those.”

The teams meet again Saturday at Wayne Fleming Arena in what could be Bedard’s final junior appearance in the Manitoba capital. The only regular-season meeting left between the clubs in Winnipeg is slated for Dec. 11, which will come a several days after Bedard is summoned by Hockey Canada to report for duty on Canada’s national junior team.

During that absence from Pats, speculation is certain to rage on about Regina’s willingness to trade Bedard to one of a handful of elite teams. The Kamloops Blazers, hosts of the Memorial Cup, have been outspoken about their interest in bringing him back to his home province.

Paddock repeated Thursday what he’s been saying for months: Bedard will not be dealt. Bedard also joined the chorus.

“I mean, we both know that it’s not going to happen,” said Bedard, who has a no-move clause in his WHL contract. “I want to be good Pat. I think we’ve got a good team, we’ve had some unlucky losses. For me, I want to be a Pat and that’s where I want to play.”

Helping his team to the post-season is the priority.

“We want to get into the playoffs, obviously,” said Bedard. “That’s something that only a couple of guys on our team have experienced and that’s a long time away. But if we’re able to do that, that’s obviously our main goal as a group and something we’d really be looking forward to.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14