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NHL 23: Connor Bedard has arrived with a remarkable overall

By Frank Mueller

HALIFAX, CANADA - JANUARY 05: Connor Bedard #16 of Team Canada skates the puck during the first period against Team Czech Republic in the gold medal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Team Canada defeated Team Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime and become the 2023 IIHF World Junior Champions. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
HALIFAX, CANADA - JANUARY 05: Connor Bedard #16 of Team Canada skates the puck during the first period against Team Czech Republic in the gold medal round of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship at Scotiabank Centre on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Team Canada defeated Team Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime and become the 2023 IIHF World Junior Champions. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The NHL just wrapped up the 2023 Winter Classic and is now looking ahead towards the 2023 NHL All-Star game in South Florida. That means we are officially in the second half of the season, and we are getting ever so close to the 2023 NHL Draft. The consensus number 1 overall pick to go in this year’s draft is Connor Bedard and he has already made his way into NHL 23 with a remarkable overall. You may ask yourself; how can Connor Bedard be in NHL 23 if he has yet to be drafted or play in the NHL yet?

EA Sports NHL has announced that the new NHL 23 World Juniors Roster Update is now live and with that, Connor Bedard has been given an 80 overall rating on World Junior Canadien team. An 80 overall rating for someone who has yet to step foot in an NHL game is more than respectable and truly remarkable. Connor Bedard has a higher overall rating than some current NHL players which says a lot about how his future is projected.

On January 5, 2023, Team Canada played Team Czechia to see who has the honor of wearing gold around their necks. In a close battle that found its way into overtime, Dylan Guenther potted the game winning goal in overtime to give Canada the gold medal by a final score of 3-2. During the course of the 2023 World Junior tournament, Connor Bedard showed exactly why he is projected to go number 1 and set tons of records along the way.

In only 7 games played, Connor Bedard netted 9 goals and 14 assists for a total of 23 points. That is simply unheard of. Connor Bedard averaged over 1 point per period in the tournament, meaning his average per game was over 3 points. In total, Connor Bedard has played in 16 World Junior games. In those 16 games Bedard has put up 36 points. With those 36 points, Bedard passed Eric Lindros’ 31-point record by a Canadien and holds the new Canadien record for points scored by a Canadien. The mind-blowing part about it all is that Connor Bedard broke this record in 7 less games than Lindros did.

Records Connor Bedard broke at the World Juniors 2023

  • Most World Junior Points by a Canadien (36 points)
    • Passed Eric Lindros (31 points)
  • Most World Junior Goals by a Canadien (17 goals)
    • Passed Jordan Eberle (14 goals)
  • Most points at a single World Juniors by a Canadian (23 points during 2023)
    • Passed Dale McCourt (18 points during 1977)
  • Most assists at a single World Juniors by a Canadian (14 assists during 2023)
    • Passed Jason Allison (12 assists during 1995)
  • Most points at a single World Juniors by a U18 player (23 points during 2023)
    • Passed Jaromir Jagr (18 points during 1990)

There are some very recognizable names on this record list that he passed, including a pair of NHL Hall of Famers (Lindros and Jagr). It was a simply magnificent performance and something unlike I have ever seen before with my own two eyes.

If all of this wasn’t enough, TSN director Craig Button has also elevated Connor Bedard’s status up to Generational Status. A Status that Craig Button has only ever given to nine other players.

Craig Button’s Generational Status List

  1. Bobby Orr: 1966
  2. Guy Lafleur: 1971
  3. Wayne Gretzky: 1979
  4. Mario Lemieux: 1984
  5. Jaromir Jagr: 1990
  6. Eric Lindros: 1991
  7. Alex Ovechkin: 2004
  8. Sidney Crosby: 2005
  9. Connor McDavid: 2015
  10. Connor Bedard: 2023

As you can tell, it is very rare that Craig Button grants a future NHL player Generation Status. When he does, he doesn’t miss. I think it is safe to say that the nine other players behind Bedard are all Hall of Famers or Future Hall of Famers. McDavid’s career is still very young but having over 100 points every year consistently already puts him in the Hall of Fame talk. He just needs to find additional hardware to cement his legacy. This is a remarkable group for Bedard to be part of, his future is projected to be one of a kind like nature.

For never stepping foot on NHL ice before, an 80 overall in NHL 23 is remarkable and now you know why he deserves it. As of right now the Chicago Blackhawks are the worst team in the NHL and currently have the best odds of winning the first overall pick and drafting Connor Bedard. If this were to be the case, the Chicago Blackhawks would be potentially getting generational talent and a key piece to turning around their franchise.

Also. NHL 23 Loyalty Rewards: How to get your free reward packs. light

This is obviously the first NHL video game that Connor Bedard has been a part of, and you have the opportunity to play as him in NHL 23 right now. The Bedard you see right now in NHL 23 is not going to be the Bedard you see in the future. Give it a couple years and Connor Bedard may very well be into the mid 90 overalls. He is a spectacle that is worth watching. The only question mark about Connor Bedard going forward is which team will get the honor of drafting him? I guess we will have to wait until the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 28.

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