Connor Bedard opens up about how he feels about being compared to McDavid

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Cooper Godin
August 29, 2023 (8:49 PM)

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While at the BioSteel NHL camp in Nova Scotia, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Connor Bedard met with the media and opened up on how he feels about being compared to the best player in hockey right now, Connor McDavid.

"You never want to be like, 'Oh, I can't do this.' I don't really think that mindset is great. But I'm not him. I'm my own person and my own player. I think he's kind of the pinnacle right now. And you're like, 'This guy is the best, or one of the best, (so) how can I get closer to him?'" Bedard said according to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Bedard went on to add, "I think that's such a great thing in sport. You're always competing against guys. For me to get to spend some time with him on the ice and just try to compete with him ... he's obviously unbelievable. You can barely talk about his stats because they're so ridiculous. But for me, it's just trying to be my own player. Be the best I can be,"

Both Bedard and McDavid are extremely talented players, especially offensively. Bedard had an incredible season in the Western Hockey League with the Regina Pats, putting up 143 points in 57 games and following that up with 20 points in seven playoff games. At the World Juniors, he smashed several records after having 23 points in seven games.

There's no doubt that Bedard will have plenty of opportunity in his rookie season with the Chicago Blackhawks where he'll play big minutes and in all situations against the opposing team's best players. There's a lot of pressure on Bedard to help turn things around in Chicago, similar to what Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews had on them in 2007 before leading the organization to three Stanley Cups.

Bedard's NHL career is set to begin on October 10th against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. As for when he'll face Connor McDavid and the Oilers, that'll come on December 12th.