Connor Bedard is now used to regularly competing against the best players in the National Hockey League, but standing in front of Connor McDavid was certainly special for the rookie.
The two players faced each other for the first time on Tuesday in a duel in favor of the Edmonton Oilers. Despite his Chicago Blackhawks' 4-1 loss, Bedard didn't miss the opportunity to impress his opponents, especially McDavid, who added two assists to his team's record in the win.
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At the beginning of the game, the young 18-year-old hockey player scored a beautiful goal with a lively throw, giving his team a 1-0 lead.
“Obviously his shot stands out, but I was impressed by his intelligence, his talent and how well he handles the puck,” McDavid said in post-game comments to the Chicago Sun Times newspaper.
“He’s got a good head on his shoulders, he knows what he’s doing and if he needs help he’s got a good group of people. It seems like he has the situation under control.”
Already a familiar face
However, this wasn't the first time the two prodigies met. In fact, they had a chance to get to know each other this summer, and Bedard said he received some advice from the Alberta team captain.
“I don’t want to bother him too much,” Bedard said. But if I could ask him a few questions, [je le ferai]. He was good to me this summer. He always gave me little advice. It was nice to see someone so humble and it felt good to spend some time with him.”
The first overall pick in the 2023 draft will soon have an opportunity to meet with the 2015 pick as the two teams will face off on January 9th in Chicago.