Connor Bedard made history on Sunday.
With a pair of goals in the Regina Pats’ victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors, the North Vancouver native became the youngest player in WHL history to reach the 50-goal plateau in a season. Bedard’s second goal of the game was his 51st and it gave him 100 points on the season. He turns 17 in July.
Bedard finished the 2021-22 season second in the league with 51 goals and fourth in points with 100. Arshdeep Bains, a Vancouver Canucks prospect who plays for the Red Deer Rebels, won the WHL scoring title with 112 points.
For the sake of comparison, Connor McDavid scored 28 goals and 99 points in 56 games during his 16-year-old season.
Unfortunately for Bedard, this is where his historic season will end. The Pats finished the season with a 27-36-5 record, good for ninth in the Eastern Conference and two points behind the Prince Albert Raiders for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Bedard will have another go-around in the WHL before he’s eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, where he’ll very likely be the No. 1 overall selection.
Before the 2022-23 season gets underway, we’ll also likely see Bedard suit up for Team Canada at the World Juniors in Edmonton in August. Bedard scored five points in two games for Canada back in December before the WJC was cancelled due to COVID-19.
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