3 can’t miss moments from a thrilling opening weekend
The 2021-22 Canadian Hockey League campaign got underway this past weekend with plenty of exciting storylines coming from it, underscored by three can’t miss moments:
Bedard’s back
The next ‘Next One’, the exceptional Connor Bedard continued where he left off last season in beginning the new campaign with three points – all goals – in a pair of appearances, the second coming before a national audience as the premiere contest of the CHL’s six-game broadcast schedule with the CBC.
The reigning WHL Rookie of the Year, the then 15-year-old phenomenon finished last season top spot in all major offensive categories among his fellow freshmen as he notched 28 points counting 12 goals and 16 assists in just 15 outings.
Only the seventh player to be granted early admission into the CHL – and the WHL’s first exceptional talent – the product of North Vancouver, B.C., already has both talent evaluators and onlooking fans salivating over his generational skill set and offensive upside, making him the early favourite to be chosen first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.
In the interim, Bedard’s dynamic skill has been reflected on the scoresheet in the Saskatchewan capital.
“We think our team is ready to take a step,” Pats general manager and vice-president of hockey operations John Paddock commented prior to the season per Rob Vanstone of the Regina Leader-Post. “That is good for Connor and he is good for the team.”
Bedard and the Pats return to the ice Wednesday as they head to Winnipeg to take on the ICE, while the CHL’s weekend slate on CBC continues Saturday with a showdown between the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and Shawinigan Cataractes.
Moves like Yager
Beyond Bedard, also making early noise in the WHL was Moose Jaw Warriors centre Brayden Yager.
Chosen third overall in the 2020 WHL Draft, Yager saw a 24-game trial run with the Warriors last season in which he impressed by finishing second in team scoring with 18 points, ultimately using that opportunity as a learning experience to help him put together an effective offseason plan and prepare for the upcoming campaign.
Evidently, Yager did just that, dominating in his first game of 2021-22 as he put three goals by Saskatoon Blades overage netminder Nolan Maier to mark his first career hat-trick. With the milestone, the 16-year-old Yager also became the first skater in Warriors’ history to find the back of the net three times in his home-ice debut.
“It was exciting. I don’t think he has got the smile off his face even now,” Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary told Marc Smith of Discover Moose Jaw. “The people that I have bumped into around the city, they were certainly excited to see what he had to do and I am pretty confident that it is only going to get better.”
Taken just two picks behind Bedard in the 2020 WHL Draft, Yager is also slated for early selection in the 2023 NHL Draft class.
Gauthier brings bloodlines
Impressive early-season debuts were also witnessed in the QMJHL, most notably with Sherbrooke where 16-year-old right-wing Ethan Gauthier found the scoresheet twice in his league-first game.
The first-overall selection from the 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft, Gauthier brings elite level skill and creativity meshed with NHL bloodlines – his father Denis was a feared blue-liner for 10 NHL seasons spent largely with the Calgary Flames’ organization and following a four-year junior career with the Drummondville Voltigeurs, where he later returned for five seasons as an assistant coach.
For the younger, the bloodlines don’t stop there either – Gauthier is also the younger brother of Voltigeurs rearguard Kaylen Gauthier, who provided an apt scouting report of his sibling.
“Ethan is a very mature kid for his age, both physically and mentally. He is still growing and getting (bigger), but he is already playing a very physical style,” Kaylen Gauthier told Jonathan Habashi of the Journal Express. “He is a complete player. He is reliable defensively. On offense, he is able to see the play, pass the puck, and score goals. (He) doesn’t have a lot of flaws. Once he reaches his full potential, he will be the kind of player every coach would love to have on their team.”
Fans can get their latest look at Gauthier on Saturday when the Phoenix take to home ice for the first time this season against Baie-Comeau.