Connor Bedard wins yet another major award from the IIHF

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Cooper Godin
June 19, 2023 (11:18 PM)

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After an incredible World Junior Hockey Championship back in late-December/early-January, 2023 top prospect Connor Bedard has been named the inaugural winner of the IIHF Player of the Year award.

"This is such a huge honour." Bedard said. "I'm not sure how to compare it to others I've received, but it's pretty incredible to receive this award with all the unbelievable players that have competed in the IIHF this season and the amazing players that were nominated for this award."

Bedard's performance at the 2023 World Juniors was one for the ages. He led the tournament with 23 points in seven games, which set a Canadian record for most points in a single World Junior Championship. Bedard also sits fourth all-time in points in World Junior history with 36, sitting behind Pavel Bure, Robert Reichel and Peter Forsberg. He went on to win tournament MVP honours as Canada took home the gold medal for a second consecutive year.

The North Vancouver native received 31.8 percent of the vote, while Latvian goaltender and Canucks prospect Arturs Silovs finished second with 19.6 percent. Swiss hockey legend Andres Ambuhl finished third (19.1%), Moritz Seider came in fourth (14.3%), while projected top-three pick Adam Fantilli finished fifth in voting (11.9%).

With another award under his belt, Bedard's focus is now on the NHL Entry Draft, which is nearly one week away. The Chicago Blackhawks hold the first overall pick for the first time since 2007 and it's almost a foregone conclusion that they'll select Bedard.

Source: IIHF