GOOD DAY FOR PATS
Connor Bedard on his way
The Regina Pats aren’t waiting until April 22 to make the first-overall selection in the 2020 WHL bantam draft.
Shortly after Regina was awarded the top pick via Wednesday’s lottery, GM John Paddock revealed to the Regina Leader-post that his team will indeed select blue-chip forward Connor Bedard, who has been granted exceptional-player status by Hockey Canada.
That means Bedard, who turns 15 on July 17, is eligible to become a full-time WHLER a year ahead of schedule in 2020-21.
“We will be selecting him first,” Paddock confirmed. “I would have said this regardless, but the exceptional status made it even more obvious to everybody. There’s no secret with this.
“He’ll be a Regina Pat, that’s for sure.”
It’s rare for a team in any league to come right out and declare the top selection before the draft, but Paddock saw no reason to hide the obvious. He also didn’t hesitate when asked if there could be any issues with recruiting the Vancouver native.
“I know there are no issues,” he said. “I’ve had lots of communication with them. I talked to the mom and dad (after Wednesday’s lottery). I haven’t talked to (Connor) yet but they’re absolutely thrilled. There’s no secret between either side about where he wanted to play and him coming.”
Regina’s top pick originally belonged to the Swift Current Broncos, who traded it to the Lethbridge Hurricanes in 2017-18. Lethbridge flipped it to Regina one year later in the Nick Henry-jake
Leschyshyn deal.
Swift Current finished with the league’s worst record this past season, which meant that Regina had the best odds (57 per cent) of landing the top pick. The Prince George Cougars ended up winning the draft lottery but Regina received the top pick because P.G. was only allowed to move up a maximum of two positions (to No. 2 from No. 4).
“We believed or hoped we could have a really good chance at being pretty high in the draft when we traded Nick and Jake and it came to fruition,” Paddock said. “It came to the ultimate fruition of getting the first pick. It’s big for the franchise. When you’re able to select players in that spot you eventually end up with a really good team. Basically, that’s what it’s all about.”
Bedard is expected to become a franchise player in the mould of former Pats centre Sam Steel, who was the second-overall pick in 2013. Before turning pro with the NHL’S Anaheim Ducks, he helped lead Regina to a berth into the 2017 WHL final as well as the 2018 Memorial Cup final.
The opportunity to add a player of that ilk has already provided a jolt of energy to the franchise, which is two years into a major rebuild after hosting the 2018 Memorial Cup.
“We’re paying the price for being a really good team (in the past),” Paddock said. “We got the reward we hoped to. This has put a little bit of a jump in everybody’s step right through the organization.”
The Pats have only held the No. 1 pick on one other occasion in the 30-year history of the bantam draft, selecting defenceman Colten Teubert first overall in 2005.
This time, Regina will have the opportunity to land an elite forward who’s regarded as the top available prospect, not to mention a possible generational talent.
That’s why B.C. Hockey announced Tuesday that Bedard had been granted exceptional status.
“It wasn’t surprising,” Paddock said. “I’ve seen him play three or four times this year. He can absolutely play in the league (at age 15). He’ll play and contribute.”
Hockey Canada assembled a special panel to “evaluate Bedard’s potential in the areas of hockey skills, academic ability and his mental and physical maturity.”
The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder had 43 goals and 84 points in 36 games last season with West Vancouver Academy. He was named MVP of the Canadian Sports School Hockey League’s U18 prep division — as an underage player, no less.
Bedard is the first player to be awarded exceptional status for the WHL and the seventh in CHL history.
Five of them were in the OHL: John Tavares (2005), Aaron Ekblad (2011), Connor Mcdavid (2012), Sean Day (2013) and Shane Wright (2019). There has been just one in the QMJHL: Joe Veleno (2015).
There’s no secret between either side about where he wanted to play and him coming.