NHL Draft Prospect Roundup: Connor Bedard can join exclusive group by season’s end

Credit: Erica Perreaux/WHL

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Here at Daily Faceoff, we know you love Connor Bedard content.

The numbers don’t lie. There’s been a race down to the bottom all season long to land the coveted first-overall pick. Scouts have been comparing him to players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Patrick Kane and others – that’s some serious company.

But you know that already. But if you haven’t watched him closely, he’s holding the Regina Pats on his back. He has now picked up five points in a game for the 10th time this season. We don’t even need to check if anyone else has come close this season. Nobody has.

Today, we’re going to look at Bedard and 10 other prospects that have stood out in recent weeks:

WHL

– Only so much can be said about Connor Bedard (No. 1) at this point. He’s a machine. He has just two games left to go in a wild WHL season that saw him become just the first U-18 forward in the 2000s to score 70 goals and the first since 1986 to record 140 points. He’s at 141 right now with two games to go. Given he has 16 points over his past four games, including a pair of five-point outputs, there’s no reason to think he can’t crack 150. If he does, he’d be just the third U-18 player in WHL history to do so, joining Rob Brown (173 points in 1985-86) and Ken Yaremchuk (157 in 1981-82). The game is much different these days, though, and there’s a reason nobody has come close to doing what Bedard has done at his age in the past few decades. He’s so quick, skilled and, even in a bad effort for Regina, teams can’t seem to slow him down.

– An impressive showing at the CHL Top Prospects Game in January made me keep a closer eye on Luca Cagnoni (No. 45), an impressive two-way blueliner with Portland. At first, I felt like his lack of size hurt, but the 5-foot-10 player makes up for it with speed, puck-handling and offensive-zone awareness. He’s likely going to fall just short of 20 goals and 70 points, but he’s one of the highest-scoring defensive draft prospects, and that still counts for something. For me, the biggest knock is his defensive awareness. He has so many qualities that’ll make him shine, like his high-end skating and playmaking skills, but he looks more interested in starting a breakout than getting the puck out of the zone. But like I always say, pro coaches can help with that.

– The Kamloops Blazers are hosting the Memorial Cup this year, so expectations are high. Dylan Ernst (overage), the 15th-ranked North American goaltender, has played 51 of the team’s 64 games, the most of any draft goaltending prospect at any notable level. Ernst has good size at 6-foot-2, has strong skating and can have a flair for the dramatic from time to time. Passed over a year ago, Ernst is the 15th-ranked North American goalie by NHL Central Scouting. He’s still a long shot to get picked, but a good playoff run, and a strong Memorial Cup, could go a long way.

QMJHL

– The Saint John Sea Dogs have had a dreadful season, which is expected for a rebuilding club. But Cole Burbidge (N/A) is in a spot to shine, and he has a respectable 19 goals and 49 points as a QMJHL rookie. The timing should work out for Burbidge to be at the peak of his game by the time it all comes together. I think Burbidge, at best, is a late-round selection, and while I don’t think his ceiling is that high, I think there’s enough raw talent for him to be a nice little pickup.

– The younger brother of Vladislav, Max Namestnikov (overage) was yet another casualty of the lost 2020-21 OHL Season. After demolishing the American U-15 ranks, he missed his first year of junior hockey and only had a decent season with Sarnia last year. He went unclaimed but currently sits 14th among Draft+1 OHLers, and one behind Barrie’s Beau Jelsma (58) for the point lead among those that went undrafted. After he recorded just seven points in 18 games with Sarnia, Namestnikov’s potential was unlocked with Guelph, where he currently has 31 goals and 50 points in 44 games. From a goal-scoring perspective, Namestnikov has some potential. Outside of that, though, he’s small and leaves a bit to be desired in his zone. The goal-scoring upside is intriguing, though.

USHL

– After his linemate, Gabriel Perreault, managed to do so earlier this month, Will Smith (No. 5) is the latest USNTDP star to break past the 100-point barrier. He joins an elite group with Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, Clayton Keller, Cole Caufield and Perreault as the only players to record 100 points in a USNTDP season, and is the first to do it in under 50 games. To think that even Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Trevor Zegras and Clayton Keller could not do that is quite something. I expect Cole Eiserman, who has 86 between the U-17 and U-18 teams this year, will manage to do it next year, but Smith’s brilliance has been on full display this year. Some scouts like him as the fifth pick, and I’m starting to think that’s possible.

GOJHL

– The Leamington Flyers have a pair of twins that ripped the GOJHL up this year: Connor and Ryan MacPherson (both N/A). Connor is the one with a bit more upside and has an impressive 28 goals and 63 points a year after leading all rookies with 57. Connor wasn’t far behind with 25 goals and 61 points, showing obvious chemistry with his brother. Both have decent frames, some high-end speed and can play all situations. It’s rare to see Jr. B players get drafted out of the league, but some quality players – such as Arber Xhekaj, Nic Hague, Adam Henrique, Drew Doughty, Nick Suzuki, Vince Dunn, Bo Horvat, Joe Thornton and Mark Schiefele, among others have spent time in the GO. While it’s not a guarantee either MacPherson brother gets selected, I know both have received some attention from NHL scouts.

SHL

– Theo Lindstein’s (No. 62) season has been a bit all over the place. On the one hand, he often looks the most confident when he plays more than 20 minutes a night. The problem is that’s a rarity, and he tends to try and overplay when given less ice time. For example, I thought he was significantly more effective on Saturday when he played 20:42 against Malmo than when he played just 7:33 two nights earlier. He only has two points this year, but, like with most young prospects playing European pro, it’s hard to earn offensive-zone responsibilities. Offense isn’t really a strength for Lindstein, either. He’s better at just keeping things simple and shutting things down. I think he’ll be a decent project in the second round.

2024

– Artyom Levshunov has been a revelation in the USHL this season, with the Belarusian defender putting up an impressive 35 points through 51 games. He had four points against the USNTDP over the weekend, building upon a year that has seen become one of the most dominant two-way defensemen in USA’s top junior league. It’s still early, but he’s already a standout in what’s supposed to be a strong defensive class for 2024.

2026

– Gavin McKenna received significant attention for his record-setting run with Yukon at the Canada Winter Games a month ago. Sure, Yukon didn’t play against strong competition, but the numbers didn’t happen by accident. Since returning, he has scored in all but one game he’s played in between U-18 and WHL action, including a two-point night in a 4-3 loss with Medicine Hat on Sunday. He’s only allowed to play limited action in the WHL as an underaged forward, but he has two goals and 12 points in 13 games – no 2007-born player has more than two points. Given his late birthday, he’s not eligible for 2026, but he’s already looking like the next western-based phenom.