Connor Bedard's NHL future looms but his focus is still on Regina

The NHL is calling, but Connor Bedard just wants to be in the moment with the boys in Regina for however long it lasts.

Few 17-year-olds have had a hockey resum as decorated as Bedard's, but he isn't caught up in where he may be after draft night.

"You never know what the future holds, whether I'm back next year or not," he said, sitting in the lower bowl seats of theRegina's Brandt Centre, wearing a Regina Pats hoodie featuring his No. 98, grey Pats shorts and black slides.

"I don't know if I would like to have that mentality of, 'This is the last little bit.' I want to be focused and be present."

People throughout the hockey world are proclaiming Bedard to be the next generational playerand fans are lining up to see him in person. So far, he's as advertised, but he isn't focused on the hype.

Bedard is content to lethis play do the talking.

Love and hockey

Bedard didn't enjoyskating much when he first learned as a child. Then his parents gave him a stick and a puck.

After that, he never let go.

He tore up flooring in the family'sNorth Vancouver home working on his puck handling, and was exiled to the backyard to work on his shot after breaking a window.

After sufferinga broken wrist, he practised his shot one-handed.

He once packed hockey gear on a family trip to Hawaii.

There was never a eureka moment whenBedard realized he could go far with hockey, he said, but hehas always been driven to improve.Pats head coach John Paddock said that's what has steered Bedard's natural progression as a player.

WATCH| Seepractice through the eyes of Connor Bedard:

See practice through the eyes of Connor Bedard

2 years ago

Duration 0:33

Hockey phenom Connor Bedard strapped on a GoPro for CBC during a practice.

At 15, Bedard became the first player in Western Hockey League (WHL) history to be granted exceptional player status, a rare designation given to players that the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) decides will develop better in one of the CHL's leaguesthan in their natural age division.

Only six former CHLers, including John Tavares and Connor McDavid, previously received the designation.

Bedard first suited up for the Regina Pats in the 2020-21 WHL season, shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Henotched 28 points in 15 gamesin thebubble.

He has improved every season since. This year, his play has led to team success.

As of publication, Bedard led the league with 90points through 36games played. The Pats are seventh in the eastern conference,despite their captain missing about a quarter of thegames.

"It's pretty unique, and pretty enjoyable for all of us," Paddock said. "We've had some really top players in this league but this is a different level, individually, so you see things that you don't normally see at this level."

Bedard has only shone brighter while donning the Maple Leaf on the international stage.

Within five months, Bedard won two gold medals at the IIHF World Junior Championships with Team Canada and broke multiple Canadian tournament records, including the decades-old points record set by Eric Lindros.

At 17 years old, he was named tournament MVP for the 2023 World Juniors an Under-20 tournament.

No. 98 expected to go No. 1

Shortly after the World Juniors, the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Bedard the No. 1 North American skater in its mid-season prospect rankings.

He is projected to be selected 1st overall in the upcoming NHL draft, which starts June 28. Dan Marr, vice president of NHL Central Scouting, called Bedard a player that can get fans out of their seats.

"The way that he does these things in spectacular fashion, with elite offensive skill and elite goal-scoring ability, he's one of the very best prospects I've seen since I've been doing this job," said Corey Pronman, a hockey writer with the Athletic.

At one point, Pronman thought Adam Fantilli, an 18-year-old Canadian playing for the University of Michigan, could surpass Bedard as the potential No. 1 pick, he said. But that's no longer the case.

"It is a very wide gap between Bedard and the next best player," he said.

Bedard's shot and his ability to break down defenders are renowned. But he's also a competitor who will dive for pucks, set up teammates and make big hits along the boards plays that aren't always sexy, but can lead to wins.

"He's very competitive," said Pats teammate Borya Valis, an NHL prospect in his own right. "He always wants to be the best."

Pronmansaid he doesn't quite put Bedard in the same echelon in terms of aprofessional prospect asConnor McDavid, but he is in the next tier.

"He's a guy who's projected as an elite, franchise-changing, NHL prospect," Pronman said. He sees Bedard being a league-leading scorer during his NHL career, making a difference offensively for whatever franchise drafts him.

Growing up, Bedard watched Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Toronto Maple Leafssniper Auston Matthews studyingMatthews'sshot, in particular.

But Bedard, listed at five-foot-ten and 185 pounds, is small for NHL standards, drawing comparisons to the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikita Kucherov.

Both are lethal NHL scorers ranking among the best to ever play for their respective franchises and have won multiple Stanley Cups. Kane wasrecently named one of the 100 greatest NHL players ever.

The intangibles

A sold-out Scotiabank Centre erupted in cheersas Canada captured gold in overtime against Czechia. Bedard, in his uniform and a white World Juniors cap, was pulled aside from the celebration to speak with TSN's on-ice reporter Kenzie Lalonde.

She asked about his performance, but he immediately changed the subject.

"I don't want to talk about myself right now. We're not talking about me," he said, barely audible over the raucous crowd in Halifax. "We just won the biggest tournament in the world, and man, I love this group. I love this country."

Looking back, Bedard told CBC News that the beloved sound bitecame from just wanting to be present in the moment.

Bedard's humility, though occasionally frustrating for journalists, sets him apart from some other young star athletes, who sometimes come with an inflated ego or sense of entitlement.

Another is his leadership.

"He got the 'C' for a reason," said Valis, who has played with Bedard for two seasons.

Bedard's habits set an example for the rest of his team. He studies game film and, during practice and in the weight room, he competes and pushes his teammates to be the best versions of themselves. He'll say something to the team if needed, but also chirps with the rest of the boys.

He's coachable, Paddock said, taking flack andkudos whendeserved and executing notes his coaches give him.

"When you have extremely good habits, and you have success, people start doing the same things that you do," Paddock said.

"They don't do completely everything that he does. He's just different and over the top. But a lot of people in that dressing room follow him."

How the teenager carries himself is part of what makes him a great local role model, said Janelle Soane, who coaches her seven-year-old daughter's hockey team just east of Regina.

"It's nice to have somebody local to talk to the kids about," Soane said.

"They've really loved watching [Bedard] progress, make a name for himself and help the Pats win, too."

Bedard remembers what it was like being a kid, wanting anything to do with his hockey idols, so he enjoys making time for the next generation watching him.

His message to them is simple.Have fun.

"That's why you play," Bedard said.

"For kids now, it seems so serious at such a young age. But just enjoy it and all of those little moments that you'll remember forever."

'He's viral'

In November, the Pats travelled to Langley, B.C., to face the Vancouver Giants. The game, hosted at the Langley Events Centre, was sold out all for one person.

"You had to be there," said Valis, who scored a goal and assisted on another en route to a 3-0 victory.

"As soon as he stepped out onto the ice, the crowd went crazy. It seemed like the Vancouver fans were going for us instead of Vancouver."

The Pats are playing for sell-out crowds all over the league, as fans of all ages try to catch a glimpse of Bedard before he headsto The Show. The Saddledome in Calgary nearly reached capacity Wednesday night, as 17,223 people went to seethe Pats take on the Hitmen.

Last Sunday's home game versus the Medicine Hat Tigers sold out. Jerseys and shirts featuring No. 98 were peppered throughout the Brandt Centre that afternoon, but fans are hard-pressed to find any Bedard merchandise left in stock. The team has even stopped selling jerseys online due to low inventory.

WATCH|Connor Bedard highlights from Jan. 29 against Medicine Hat:

Connor Bedard highlights from January 29 against Medicine Hat

2 years ago

Duration 0:32

Connor Bedard scored three times and picked up an assist in a 6-4 loss at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Kellen Sillinger, father to two young boys playing minor hockey, had to buy a plain Pats jersey and get Bedard's name and number placed on the back later.

"Every kid who comes here, it's 98-this, 98-that," Sillinger said. "It's awesome what he's doing for this franchise."

Connor McDavid, drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in 2015, was the last Canadian player so highly touted. But Bedardis arguably under a greater microscope because of how media particularly social media has evolved.

"He's viral," Valis said.

Bedardsaid he tries to block it all out, and focuson the team and its goals. But he has connected with NHL players, noting Mathew Barzhal a former WHLer now playing for the New York Islanders has become someone he can lean on for advice.

Experiencing Regina

Basement-dwellingNHL teams are thirsting for Bedard.

The team that finishes last in the regular season has a one-in-five chance at getting the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery, with the odds for each subsequent team getting progressively lower. As ofpublication, the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks led the race to the bottom, with the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes trailing closely behind.

The Vancouver Canucks, Bedard's hometown team, sit 27th of 32 teams in the rankings. Jim Rutherford, the team's president of hockey operations, has publicly said that all teams want the first pick "this year of all years."

There are about 30 games left to play, however, and question marks around who will be dealt before next month's trade deadline. Pronman, from the Athletic, wouldn't be surprised if teams made moves to give themselves better odds at Bedard although there are several other premium prospects available as well.

Meanwhile, in Regina, Bedard isn't thinking about it.

"I still have to prove myself," he said.

Many believe he won't return to Regina after June 28. Paddock is certain Bedard is ready for the NHL, but both coach and player recognize he could be back, as high draft picks are sometimes sent back down to develop further.

Bedard feels as though his years in Regina have flown by, but he's grateful for his experience and the connections and memories he has made.

The future is for Bedard to see. Until then, he's living in the now, focusing on being with his teammates and getting Ws.