Who is Connor Bedard? All you need to know about the young hockey sensation

Connor Bedard is a seventeen-year-old Canadian junior ice hockey center. He was selected as the first pick by the Regina Pats in the WHL Bantam Draft in 2020.

Bedard is projected to be the first pick in the 2023 NHL draft, which is set to take place in June 2023. He is an exceptional youngster who has set records throughout his hockey career.

He was born on July 17, 2005 to parents Tom and Melanie in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In an interview with the Toronto Sun, Connor Bedard's parents talked about his love for hockey and how he was attracted to the sport from a very young age.

“From the age of three on, Connor always had a ball and a hockey stick, that’s what he always seemed to be doing — not on the ice, but around the house."

When he is not away for games, Connor lives with his father, Tom, mother, Melanie, sister, Madisen, and the family dog, Harley, in Regina, Vancouver.

Tom has worked in the forest industry for his entire adult life, Melanie looks after the family and is what Connor calls the glue to the family. Madisen, 20, is a third-year kinesiology student at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Madisen is Connor's biggest role model and was a dedicated athlete herself. She competed as a gymnast in North Vancouver before moving away for college. She helps Connor in many ways, tutoring him in school and answering the plethora of fan emails her younger brother receives.

The siblings share a very strong bond which was on display when Connor Bedard decided to play hockey in Sweden (because his first WHL season was postponed due to COVID-19). His sister joined him there to support and keep him company.

Bedard's dedicates his performances to his grandfather Garth Bedard, who was killed in a car accident near Sicamous, B.C. in 2021. He said:

“He is definitely who I play for now, and will for the rest of my life.”

Connor Bedard's performances for Team Canada

In 2021, Connor Bedard played for Team Canada in the World U-18 Championship and won the gold medal and was tied for second place for points. In 2022 and 2023, he represented Team Canada in the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship and won gold in both years.

He scored nine goals and recorded fourteen assists in the tournament and also scored the tournament-winning goal in overtime. For his performance, he was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.