At the age of twelve he was already there NHL-Professionals on the ice, was already considered the “future of ice hockey” when he was a young teenager. Connor Bedard has been playing in the North American NHL professional league for a few weeks now – and shows that the hype surrounding him was not in vain.
He is only 1.78 meters tall and could therefore be overlooked in the crowd. But as soon as Connor Bedard steps onto the ice, the 18-year-old stands out Chicago Blackhawks out of here. That skating technique – and especially those hands. His wrist movements are so quick that opponents, even the most experienced NHL pros, don’t know whether he’s going to pass or shoot the puck.
“He’s an amazing talent. It’s fun to train with him and be on the ice with him. Then you see how hard he works and why he’s so good,” says Lukas Reichel in an interview with Sportschau. The German international is Bedard’s teammate in Chicago, three years older, and has already played almost 50 NHL games. Normally it is the newcomer to the league who takes his cue from a professional like Reichel. But in Bedard’s case, nothing is normal.
Compared to Crosby and McDavid as a 13 year old
Bedard had just turned twelve when he was at home in Vancouver for the first time with NHL players like Mathew Barzal (New York Islanders) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers) during their training sessions on the ice in the summer. “I was still the annoying little kid back then”Bedard remembers.
Since he was 14 years old, he trained every day. That’s when Bedard got his first impression of the intensity and speed with which the NHL plays.
Published in November 2018 “The Hockey News” an article about him titled: “Meet the future of hockey, 13-year-old Connor Bedard.” Never before had the renowned trade magazine portrayed such a young player. Bedard was described as the “next phenomenon” and the advisers, it was said, were already “knocking on his door.” And, yes, he’s even been compared to Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid – welcome to Canada.
With exceptional status in the junior league
Now it has to be said that there are countless great talents in the motherland of ice hockey – every year. But this Connor Bedard wasn’t just one of many talents back then. No, he was the Talent. By far the best of all – across all years.
And that’s why he was allowed to play in the national junior league as a 15-year-old with an exemption from the Canadian Ice Hockey Association. Such a “exceptional status” had previously only been granted to six other young people. Normally the minimum age for the junior leagues is 16 years.
71 goals, 72 assists in 57 games
Bedard played for them Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League, as a 15-year-old sometimes met players who were already 20 years old. Nevertheless, he played outstandingly. Last season he scored 71 goals and prepared 72 more goals – in just 57 games.
It would certainly have been only human if this Connor Bedard had become nervous with all the headlines, the huge media interest or public attention. If at some point he couldn’t have withstood the pressure of becoming the predicted next Canadian hockey superstar. But the striker just finds everything “super cool and very interesting.”
Chicago lottery win
The fact that Bedard was selected first in the talent distribution at the end of June was as predictable as FC Bayern Munich winning the German soccer championship. The Chicago Blackhawks had the first pick of the 32 teams – it was tantamount to winning the lottery. Just twelve hours after the draft, the traditional club reported income of five million dollars from the sale of season tickets for the new season.
The fact that such a talent is now playing for a club as famous as the Blackhawks, in a media market as large as Chicago, is also a win for the league and the TV stations. At the season opener on October 10th, the Blackhawks faced the Pittsburgh Penguins about their captain Sidney Crosby.
More symbolic Generational change
The media jazzed it up to a duel “Sid vs the Kid” – and spoke of a kind of symbolic generational change. Crosby was considered as exceptional a talent in 2005 as Bedard is now. But Crosby, who beat Pittsburgh three times Stanley Cupvictory and led Canada to Olympic gold twice, is now 36 years old.
Bedard’s debut was not only a success for the newcomer, who collected his first NHL point with an assist in the 4-2 win, but also for “ESPN“. The TV station enjoyed an average of 1.43 million viewers. Never before had so many fans tuned in to an “ESPN” game in the NHL points round.
Reichel: “Sometimes I think, ‘poor boy'”
A day later, Bedard scored his first NHL goal in Boston. Around 25 American and Canadian media representatives then crowded around him in the dressing room. Lukas Reichel looked at everything from a few meters away. “Sometimes I think to myself, ‘poor boy’. A lot of press, a lot of interviews for him. But he’s doing really well.”he said.
Connor Bedard has now played 14 games. He has amazed and enchanted many, is the top goalscorer with nine goals and is also the team’s most successful point collector with 13 points. And, as people sometimes forget because of his actions, he is only 18 years old.