Canada's Connor Bedard (#16) stepped up with the opening goal against Latvia and shared his thoughts with reporters afterwards.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
The expectations for Connor Bedard haven’t gotten any lower since the previous incarnation of these 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton was halted due to Omicron.
At the tender age of 16, Bedard scored four goals in an 11-4 romp over Austria. Now the tournament has restarted in August, and the North Vancouver native – almost certain to go first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft – is still setting the pace at age 17.
With an Auston Matthews-like drag shot, the Regina Pats centre scored Canada’s first goal in a 5-2 victory over a gritty Latvian squad.
Will Bedard step into the NHL and dominate like Matthews or Connor McDavid? Or will he take more time to adjust like such other first overall picks as Jack Hughes (2019, New Jersey) and Alexis Lafreniere (2020, New York Rangers)?
Only time will tell. But for now, this wunderkind is fully focused on getting Canada back on top of the world for the first time since the 2020 World Juniors in Czechia.
Bedard spoke with reporters after the win over Latvia.
On getting back to the World Juniors
It's good. For me, it's been three months since I've kind of been in a real game. It's good to get back out there. And it's always a lot of fun to play in front of the fans.
On his Latvian opponents
They're a good team. I mean, they push and they play really smart. Going in, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game. Give them credit. They have a lot of skill, a lot of good players over there. It was fun to be in that battle. And it was definitely a good game.
On the sequence that led to his opening goal
I got [the puck] in the slot there from [captain Mason McTavish]. And I remember I pulled it and I saw the goalie went over pretty far. I missed it. And then [going into the next opportunity], I kind of knew where I wanted to go and how he'd react to that shot.
On the fans at Rogers Place for Canada’s opener
The people that were here, they were loud and they were energetic. I think it's like that every game. I remember in Vancouver when it was there [in 2019], every game seems to get more and more people and louder and stuff like that. So it was really good that we had some fans here. It definitely helps us playing the game.
On his use of a longer stick
It's always kind of been that way. I think I skate a little upright, and it's good for me to have my stick on the ice more, aiming for shooting, reaching out more or whatever. That’s just a personal preference.
On Ridly Greig’s one-handed goal to make it 4-1
I didn't know what he was going to do there. Obviously, one hand on the stick, I think that was pretty creative, and it was pretty cool to see it go in.
On the momentum that Greig’s line with Zack Ostapchuk and William Dufour built for Canada
They can hit and they can make plays. They’ve got a lot of skill in there. They're a big line. It’s huge to get a grind shift and those big hits and stuff like that. It gets the bench up and it definitely helped us for sure.
On the key to getting the power play going (2-for-3 versus Latvia)
I think kind of simplifying it. [On the first Canadian man advantage], you know, [the Latvians] did a lot. They were pressuring us and causing turnovers. Our goals were just simple shots from the point, and that's kind of what we went to after the first one didn't go as well. Simplifying it was good for us.
At the tender age of 16, Bedard scored four goals in an 11-4 romp over Austria. Now the tournament has restarted in August, and the North Vancouver native – almost certain to go first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft – is still setting the pace at age 17.
With an Auston Matthews-like drag shot, the Regina Pats centre scored Canada’s first goal in a 5-2 victory over a gritty Latvian squad.
Will Bedard step into the NHL and dominate like Matthews or Connor McDavid? Or will he take more time to adjust like such other first overall picks as Jack Hughes (2019, New Jersey) and Alexis Lafreniere (2020, New York Rangers)?
Only time will tell. But for now, this wunderkind is fully focused on getting Canada back on top of the world for the first time since the 2020 World Juniors in Czechia.
Bedard spoke with reporters after the win over Latvia.
On getting back to the World Juniors
It's good. For me, it's been three months since I've kind of been in a real game. It's good to get back out there. And it's always a lot of fun to play in front of the fans.
On his Latvian opponents
They're a good team. I mean, they push and they play really smart. Going in, we knew it wasn't going to be an easy game. Give them credit. They have a lot of skill, a lot of good players over there. It was fun to be in that battle. And it was definitely a good game.
On the sequence that led to his opening goal
I got [the puck] in the slot there from [captain Mason McTavish]. And I remember I pulled it and I saw the goalie went over pretty far. I missed it. And then [going into the next opportunity], I kind of knew where I wanted to go and how he'd react to that shot.
On the fans at Rogers Place for Canada’s opener
The people that were here, they were loud and they were energetic. I think it's like that every game. I remember in Vancouver when it was there [in 2019], every game seems to get more and more people and louder and stuff like that. So it was really good that we had some fans here. It definitely helps us playing the game.
On his use of a longer stick
It's always kind of been that way. I think I skate a little upright, and it's good for me to have my stick on the ice more, aiming for shooting, reaching out more or whatever. That’s just a personal preference.
On Ridly Greig’s one-handed goal to make it 4-1
I didn't know what he was going to do there. Obviously, one hand on the stick, I think that was pretty creative, and it was pretty cool to see it go in.
On the momentum that Greig’s line with Zack Ostapchuk and William Dufour built for Canada
They can hit and they can make plays. They’ve got a lot of skill in there. They're a big line. It’s huge to get a grind shift and those big hits and stuff like that. It gets the bench up and it definitely helped us for sure.
On the key to getting the power play going (2-for-3 versus Latvia)
I think kind of simplifying it. [On the first Canadian man advantage], you know, [the Latvians] did a lot. They were pressuring us and causing turnovers. Our goals were just simple shots from the point, and that's kind of what we went to after the first one didn't go as well. Simplifying it was good for us.