The Week That Was – Bedard takes command of WHL scoring race
Each week, CHL.ca goes coast to coast to highlight the top stories from around the league.
Bedard’s hot start continues
Connor Bedard keeps turning heads.
Now through 10 appearances with the Regina Pats, the 15-year-old phenom has recorded at least one point in every outing this season, highlighted by a career-high four-point performance in Monday’s 9-4 win versus Swift Current.
In all, the must-see centre has collected eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points and now stands atop the WHL scoring race, one point ahead of Edmonton Oil Kings second-year winger Dylan Guenther, a projected first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
While Bedard continues to dazzle hockey fans from coast to coast, he has also left quite the impression on some of his club’s greatest rivals.
We have nothing to say other than Connor Bedard is still Connor Bedard. 1-0 courtesy our exceptional rookie.
More $ for our friends at @BBBSRegina from PTI.#JoinTheRegiment pic.twitter.com/gJRvPOcOiA
— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) March 31, 2021
“He is obviously a special talent, but to watch the maturity of his game at 15 in terms of making plays under pressure against older players is very impressive,” Saskatoon Blades head coach Mitch Love told Steve Ewen of The Province. “You can see confidence in just his body language on the ice each game. The deception to his shot and release along with his vision to make players around him better at that age is extraordinary.”
Of course, such a scoring binge is nothing new for Bedard, who last season pushed the pace with the under-18 West Vancouver Academy as the then 14-year-old led the squad in scoring with 84 points in only 36 games.
The first player to be granted early admission into the WHL, Bedard was taken atop the 2020 WHL Draft. Eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, the North Vancouver, B.C., native is also the early favourite to headline his NHL draft class like past CHL exceptional talents including John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad, and Connor McDavid.
Stanley seizes opportunity
Logan Stanley is unmistakable.
Standing 6-foot-7, the hulking Kitchener Rangers graduate has also become irreplaceable with the Winnipeg Jets.
After making his professional debut with the Jets in mid-January, the stay-at-home defender pocketed his first NHL goal Saturday versus the Calgary Flames. Now through 24 appearances, the 22-year-old Stanley has emerged as a reliable rearguard in Winnipeg, with his most recent appearance highlighted by a season-high of nearly 17 minutes in ice time.
“We think we have got a good find here,” Jets head coach Paul Maurice told Ted Wyman of the Winnipeg Sun. “(I am) really happy with where he is at. I have really enjoyed watching his confidence grow and the quality of his game.”
Former @SpitsHockey and @OHLRangers defenceman Logan Stanley (@loganstanley_17) lit the lamp for his first #NHL goal with the @NHLJets on Saturday. 22-year-old #OHLAlumni helped the Spitfires to a #MemorialCup in 2017. #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/rncSPLRIid
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 28, 2021
In fact, Stanley has been so impressive that his play may force the club’s front office to make some reconsiderations of its defence-heavy lineup ahead of this summer’s expansion draft that will see the team surrender one roster player to the incoming Seattle Kraken.
But for Stanley, he is focused on the here and now.
“It is kind of hard to take a breath and look at what is going on,” Stanley told Wyman. “I am just enjoying myself and trying to get better every day here and try and help this club win games.”
Skating 219 career contests in the OHL with Windsor and Kitchener from 2014-18, Stanley’s junior career was highlighted by a Memorial Cup championship with the Spitfires in 2017, one year after Winnipeg chose him in the opening round of the NHL Draft.
Charlottetown’s dynamic duo
The Charlottetown Islanders could have a pair of candidates when it comes to MVP honours.
Standing atop the league scoring race, overage forwards Cedric Desruisseaux and Thomas Casey have both collected 62 points in 32 games this season, the runaway favourites to land the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the league’s top scorer by year end.
It has been such a dominant performance that the two have a 19-point edge on the QMJHL’s next highest scorer in Halifax Mooseheads third-year centre Elliot Desnoyers, a Philadelphia Flyers draftee.
Both passed over in their NHL draft year, this season is a chance to earn another look from talent evaluators. For Desruisseaux, the undersized winger has been dominant all season long, currently riding a 17-game point streak and having failed to record a point in only one contest this season. On nine occasions, he has recorded three or more points, including a three-game sequence in mid-February in which he amassed six goals and six assists.
Big congrats to @Thomas_Casey12, who after yesterday has played in over 200 career QMJHL games!
The Charlottetown native is third in franchise history in games played and fourth in points (152) and goals (72). pic.twitter.com/LfkVQdJvVE
— Charlottetown Islanders (@IslandersHKY) March 18, 2021
For Casey, it has been much of the same, with the hometown hero held off the scoresheet just three times this season. Like Desruisseaux, the 5-foot-8 Casey has been often overlooked because of his smaller frame, though that did not stop the Detroit Red Wings from extending him a training camp invite in 2019.
In the meantime, Casey recently made the commitment to continue his playing career with the varsity University of New Brunswick Reds for the coming campaign.
“It just kind of felt like a really comfortable fit and I am pleased it came to fruition,” Casey told Jason Malloy of the Charlottetown Guardian. “They compete for national championships and the AUS championship year after year, so it is something that really excites me. As a hockey player, you play to win games, so I am happy I can join a winning culture and can contribute to that.”