What scouts, opponents say about Connor Bedard’s dominant play

Credit: Connor Bedard (Bob Frid-CHL)

Generational. Unstoppable. “Wow.”

Those are just a few out of hundreds of words to describe the play of Connor Bedard, the top prospect for the 2023 NHL Draft. In a few weeks, the Chicago Blackhawks will take the young superstar that’s been mentioned alongside names like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane.

It’s been easy to get lost in the Bedard hysteria this season. From his domination at the World Junior Championship to scoring 71 goals and crushing the WHL scoring lead, he’s the best prospect we’ve seen in close to a decade.

We’ve all seen the highlights. We’ve heard the stories. At some point, you just run out of things to say about No. 98. Bedard doesn’t even want to talk about himself at this point. Everyone know he’s good, and, before long, he’ll join a list of elite talent in the NHL.

But what do the people that followed him the closest think of Bedard’s unbelievable talent? Here’s what some of Bedard’s peers, and those that had to spend the past few years judging his play, have to say:

What the players say

Andrew Cristall, LW, Kelowna Rockets

“(His shot) has always been pretty scary. Now, it’s a little bit of a different beast, but I think back to when we were 13, we’re out skating and he’s ripping bar downs and we’re just trying to get the puck in the air. It’s pretty ridiculous.”

Matteo Mann, D, Chicoutimi Saguenéens

“You can tell that he’s been at this for a long time. You can see his body the way it is compared to a lot of guys out here. He’s really far along his development of his physical attributes. You see the shot, that’s probably the biggest thing when you see it in real life. There’s a difference between the rest of the group and him.

On Bedard’s shot: “I got a chance to see it in practice (for the CHL Top Prospects Game). From (a fan’s) vantage point, I don’t think people understand how far across he really brings the puck. If you watch on TV, it’s easy to point out the defenseman’s errors in how they’re positioning the stick. But I think every guy knows they’re going to pull and drag the puck. I’m anticipating that, but he brings it so much that it still misses your stick. I’d even go to say it’s deceptive. Even though everyone knows how he releases the puck, it’s still deceptive just because of how much drag and pull he gets on it. His sticks are built really long for his size too. So his elbow is really up because that’s how much he gets it in.”

Brayden Yager, C, Moose Jaw

“Generational is probably the word that’s coming out now. You see the stuff he can do… we had a rivalry with Regina. It was crazy to see how he takes away time and space.”

Nico Myatovic, RW, Seattle Thunderbirds

“He’s dangerous from all areas of the ice once he crosses the blueline. He’s got a lethal shot. He can score from anywhere… when you mix that type of character and that type of skill, it makes for a good combo.”

Luca Cagnoni, D, Portland Winterhawks

“I’ve been playing against him my whole life. He’s a hell of a player. He has a wicked shot, he’s a threat from anywhere on the ice. (You) have to keep your head up, he can walk you or shoot through you. He’s just a generational player.”

Sawyer Mynio, D, Seattle Thunderbirds

“He’s so good in all areas. I grew up playing with him and against him, so I’m kind of used to that. But it’s not an easy thing to go up against him.”

Tanner Molendyk, D, Saskatoon Blades

“You know (games against him) are coming and you just hope he doesn’t pot five (goals). You obviously worry that he’s coming out against you but you don’t want to worry too much about it and start having a bad gap, and all kinds of things start creeping in. You want to come in and skate with him.”

Caden Price, D, Kelowna Rockets

“Just the way he approaches the game, and the stuff he does on the ice, you don’t see a lot of players trying to attempt what he does. I think the hardest thing is defending his shot. He can release it from anywhere, he has such a long stick so his reach is pretty good. It’s tough to get sticks on him.”

Adam Gajan, G, Chippewa Steel

“Seeing what he’s able to do on the ice, it’s unbelievable… You see someone post his highlights on Instagram. I’ve watched some of goals, it’s crazy what he’s able to do. He’s special, but I wasn’t trying to think too much about it (at the world juniors).

Adam Fantilli, C, University of Michigan

“He’s a phenomenal hockey player and a great kid. Anytime I get to play with him is amazing. He has an awesome work ethic.”

What the scouts say

Russ Cohen, SiriusXM/EP Rinkside

“He never loses his speed from the start of a shift to the end of the shift. It never seems like he gets tired, and it seems like he takes the longest shifts of anybody on his team, in any game I ever watch.”

Western Conference NHL Scout

“I’m not sure there’s an NHLer, outside of maybe (Auston) Matthews, that has as deceptive of a release as Bedard. Maybe Patrick Kane. From a style perspective, Bedard has a bit of both. His shot alone is one of the best we’ve seen in a prospect in a long time. His ability to power through an odd-man rush without being taken down is mind-blowing.”

Eastern Conference NHL Scout

“Fuse Matthews and (Mitch) Marner together. You have Connor Bedard. He has 34’s shot and 16’s skating. It makes him both unpredictable and nearly impossible to slow down when he’s at full speed.”

Amateur Scout

“Watch him pass. He’s one of the best in the WHL. And yet it feels like an overlooked part of his game. Head is always up. Always finding his teammates. Always making those around him much better. He isn’t afraid to go through traffic to create a play because he knows exactly where he wants to put the puck.”

Western-based Scout

“The phrase ‘man among kids’ is a bit cliche, but it’s the best way of describing Bedard’s game. There are at least four to five plays every night you don’t see coming. You eventually run out of adjectives to describe what you’re seeing.”

Dan Marr, Director of NHL Central Scouting

“To use your media term, (Bedard) is that generational type of player. We’ve focused on him for the last three years leading up to this event. He’s one of those types where it’s very difficult for the youngest player on any team to be the best player on the team. And he’s been able to do that. Every elite event, almost every game you’re at, just puts him in that special category. There’s a lot of words that start with C that analytics can’t judge – one of them is character, and one of them is consistency. He consistently plays that high character game in and game out.”

Chris Peters, FloHockey

“For me, it’s the shot (that stands out the most). Bedard shoots it so many different ways and can get it off really easily. He shoots well off the rush, off the pass, in tight, anything you need to do. He can dangle a goalie. He has a variety of ways to score, and it’s at a level that’s above what I saw that most NHL players are at. He’s already in a top tier in a category in the NHL before ever playing a game. Combine that with the hockey sense and everything else, and he’s one of the best shooters that we’ve ever watched at this age in how he frequently scores goals, how he scores goals and how easy he makes it seem.”

Shane Malloy, Hockey Prospect Radio/Sirius XM

“(What stands out the most is his) deception. The best way to explain it is when he’s coming down, say 1-on-1 with a defender, he forces the defender to make the first move so then he can counterattack. You’ll see where the defender first puts his stick at one angle and then where his weight shift is, and then what direction his toe caps are. He understands what direction and what multiple moves he can take. So it’s his processing. He has adaptive processing. Based on what’s happening, within microseconds, he understands what series of moves he’s going to make and where he needs to go.”

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