Likely No. 1 NHL Draft pick Connor Bedard reaches major stat benchmarks in WHL

Bedard, the projected No. 1 overall pick for the 2023 NHL Draft, picked up two goals to hit the 50-goal mark in 40 games. He is the first player in the WHL to reach both 50 goals and 100 points this season. Bedard made a nice move between the legs at the left-hand faceoff circle before making a quick move down low to beat Raiders goaltender Max Hildebrand for his 49th of the season. Then, in the second period on the power play, Bedard fired a missile of a wrist shot through traffic to beat Hildebrand for his 50th in typical Bedard fashion. With his 50 goals in 40 games; only Jock Callander who scored 50 goals in 39 games hit the mark faster since the Pats joined the WHL in 1966.

Bedard also picked up two assists on the night helping linemates Tanner Howe and Washington Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev get on the score sheet. Those two assists launched him to the 100-point milestone. Last season, Bedard became the first Pats player since Mike Sillinger to register 50 goals when he recorded 51 goals. Sillinger reached that milestone three seasons in a row.

Since returning from the 2023 World Junior Championship' where Bedard scored his version of the "golden goal," he has recorded 23 goals and 13 assists in just 12 games. He has 50 goals and 50 assists for 100 points in 40 games this season. Bedard’s career totals now sit at 113 goals and 115 assists in 117 career WHL regular-season games.