Connor Bedard's sensational 2020-2021 season thus far in the WHL
March 24, 2020, a day that will be remembered by WHL and hockey fans forever. This is because this was the day that a then 14-year old Connor Bedard was granted exceptional status into the WHL. This is the first time it has ever happened in that league: it was a feat once achieved by the likes of McDavid, Tavares and Ekblad in the OHL, but never in the WHL: a league famous for being rough, physical and defensively focused. For a 15-year-old offensive phenom to be allowed to play in that league was unheard of. Bedard changed that. To understand how he achieved such a feat, we must first understand who Bedard is and where he came from.
Bedard played his last two years of minor hockey West Van Academy Prep team. Last year, their U18 prep team lead by Bedard finished 10th ranked in Canada. To put this into perspective local schools like the Blyth Academy Bruins U18 prep, and the Hill Academy were ranked 35th and 48th in the country respectively. Whilst at West Van Bedard put up some simply ridiculous stats. In his first year with West Van, he put up a surreal 88 points in 30 games (2018-2019), then as an underaged player on the U18 team in his next year (2019-2020) he put up a similar 84 points in 36 games. This performance in the best midget prep league in the country pushed his exceptional status application over the edge.
Upon being granted into the WHL, he was drafted 1st overall by the Regina Pats in the 2020 WHL draft. This came as a surprise to nobody, every exceptional status player in the CHL was drafted #1st overall in the subsequent draft. But what he did upon being drafted was what shocked the entire hockey world, and has pushed his NHL draft stock through the roof for the 2023 draft. So here it is... Bedard has put up an astronomical. 26 points in 14 games as a 15-year-old, playing against some of the best 16-21-year-olds in the country. to put this into perspective: Connor McDavid: the best player in the world right now had 66 points in 63 OHL games in his exceptional status rookie season in the CHL. These two stat lines are on two completely different levels. Bedard would be on pace to produce 117 points in 66 games on his nearly two points per game pace. Bedard is currently in the most elite company, standing alone. He's on the best point pace of an underaged player in the CHL ever. The significance of this is unprecedented. Bedard has basically secured himself a 1st overall selection in the 2023 NHL draft as he proves to be the next North American generational talent.
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