Connor Bedard continues to cement his legacy ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. The projected first-overall pick officially put his name in the history books at the World Juniors for Team Canada on Monday night with a beauty goal in the first period against Slovakia.
Bedard took a pass from Logan Stankoven and sniped it up high, beating keeper Adam Gajan. In the process, the 18-year-old passed Jordan Eberle for the most goals in WJC history with 15 and moved in front of Eric Lindros for the most points (32) by a Canadian player at the tournament. Here’s the record-breaking finish, courtesy of TSN:
CONNOR BEDARD SETS A NEW CANADIAN RECORD FOR MOST GOALS AT THE WORLD JUNIORS! pic.twitter.com/CJwpYmJdvW
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 2, 2023
Nasty. Bedard made his mark in the 2022 World Juniors with five points before the tourney was postponed due to COVID-19. He then compiled eight points at the rescheduled tournament before going off in this competition.
Bedard didn’t take long to make his mark in Canada’s second game after an early upset to the Czech Republic. The Regina Pats superstar registered seven points in a massive 11-2 win over Germany, scoring a hat-trick and tallying four assists. Just a day later, he had six points as the Canucks scored another 11 goals against Austria, scoring twice and setting up another four.
Connor Bedard is doing things that no one has ever done on this stage, not even Connor McDavid. He’s already been hailed as one of the next NHL greats thanks to his impressive skill set, including a breathtaking shot. The North Vancouver, BC native has 27 goals and 37 assists in the WHL this season as well.
Lindros himself hopped on social media Saturday to urge Bedard to break his record. After the youngster scored Monday, Jordan Eberle, who is now playing for the Seattle Kraken, even congratulated Bedard for the impressive accomplishment:
Connor Bedard 🤝 @jeberle_7
From one @WHLPats star to another, the #WorldJuniors legend has a personal message of congratulations for the new all-time 🇨🇦 goal-scoring leader. pic.twitter.com/B2L0cdpIrX
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) January 3, 2023
32 points in just 13 World Juniors games. Bedard is clearly a different breed. Just insane. Let’s see if he can lead Canada to another title, too.