Pats captain Bedard wins Bob Clarke Trophy as 2022-23 WHL Top Scorer presented by Kubota Canada
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today Regina Pats captain Connor Bedard (North Vancouver, B.C.) has won the Bob Clarke Trophy as WHL Top Scorer presented by Kubota Canada.
Ranked by NHL Central Scouting as the top North American skater ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard led all WHL skaters with 143 points during the regular season, including a WHL-leading 71 goals. His 72 assists were good enough to finish tied atop the league charts.
The 17-year-old product of North Vancouver, B.C. is the first WHL player to surpass the 140-point plateau since three players (Mark Deyell, Frank Banham, Hnat Domenichelli) all achieved the feat in 1995-96. Since 1996-97, only five other WHL players have reached the 130-point plateau.
Bedard is also the first WHL player to reach the 70-goal mark since Jayden Halbgewachs of the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2017-18.
Through 57 regular season games, Bedard was held off the scoresheet on only five occasions.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound centre enjoyed a 35-game point-scoring streak that began September 24, 2022 and endured through February 1, 2023. Over that stretch, Bedard registered 90 points, including 44 goals and 46 assists, good for nearly 2.6 points per game.
Bedard recorded nine hat tricks during the 2022-23 season, two of which were four-goal performances. The Pats pivot also logged 38 multipoint outings in 57 games. On 10 occasions, Bedard collected five or more points in a game, two of which were six-point performances – January 8 vs. Calgary (4G-2A) and March 18 at Moose Jaw (3G-3A).
Bedard is the seventh Regina Pat to earn recognition as WHL Top Scorer, joining Sam Steel (2016-17), Adam Brooks (2015-16), Dale Derkatch (1982-83), Jock Callander (1981-82), Brian Varga (1980-81), and Doug Wickenheiser (1979-80).
Since 2020 when he became the first-ever player to be granted exceptional status in the WHL, Bedard has skated in 134 career regular season games, collecting 271 points (134G-137A) along the way.
The Bob Clarke Trophy, awarded annually to the WHL’s Top Scorer, is named after the WHL and NHL legend known to many as one of the toughest and most skilled to play the game. Clarke played two seasons in the WHL and captured the WHL scoring title in both those campaigns. The 1967-68 WHL season saw Clarke collect an astounding 168 points (51G-117A) in 59 appearances. During the 1968-69 season, Clarke registered 137 points (51G-86A) in only 58 games as he helped his hometown Flin Flon Bombers claim the 1969 WHL Championship.
From there, the product of Flin Flon, Man., went on to play 15 NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, including captaining the Club to two Stanley Cup Championships. He was awarded the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP on three occasions and was named an NHL All-Star four times.
Winners of the Bob Clarke Trophy (since 2003)
| 2022-23 | Connor Bedard, Regina Pats |
| 2021-22 | Arshdeep Bains, Red Deer Rebels |
| 2020-21 | Peyton Krebs, Winnipeg ICE |
| 2019-20 | Adam Beckman, Spokane Chiefs |
| 2018-19 | Joachim Blichfeld, Portland Winterhawks |
| 2017-18 | Jayden Halbgewachs, Moose Jaw Warriors* |
| 2016-17 | Sam Steel, Regina Pats* |
| 2015-16 | Adam Brooks, Regina Pats |
| 2014-15 | Oliver Bjorkstrand, Portland Winterhawks |
| 2013-14 | Mitch Holmberg, Spokane Chiefs |
| 2012-13 | Brendan Leipsic, Portland Winterhawks Nicolas Petan, Portland Winterhawks (tie) |
| 2011-12 | Brendan Shinnimin, Tri-City Americans |
| 2010-11 | Linden Vey, Medicine Hat Tigers* |
| 2009-10 | Brandon Kozun, Calgary Hitmen* |
| 2008-09 | Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Vancouver Giants |
| 2007-08 | Mark Santorelli, Chilliwack Bruins |
| 2006-07 | Zach Hamill, Everett Silvertips |
| 2005-06 | Troy Brouwer, Moose Jaw Warriors |
| 2004-05 | Eric Fehr, Brandon Wheat Kings |
| 2003-04 | Tyler Redenbach, Swift Current Broncos |
| 2002-03 | Erik Christensen, Kamloops Blazers |
* Also won CHL Top Scorer Award
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.
