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15-year-old Connor Bedard scores two goals in WHL debut

North Vancouver native shows why he's the first in league history to earn underage player "exceptional status"
Andy Prest
Andy Prest

It took North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard 47 seconds to erase all doubts about his ability to play in the WHL as the league’s first ever underage player.

Making his debut with the Regina Pats at the age of 15, Bedard scored back-to-back goals 47 seconds apart in the second period to pull the Pats within one of the Prince Albert Raiders after Regina fell behind 3-0.

The first goal, a power play marker, was a legitimate end-to-end rush that ended up as an unassisted goal.

The second goal, mere moments later, saw Bedard walk across the slot with super silky hands and fire in another rocket.

With that, the WHL’s first ever “exceptional status” underage player proved without a doubt that he can thrive in a league featuring players up to five years older than him. It wasn't enough, however, to get the win for the Pats, as the Raiders pulled away in the third period to score a 6-3 win.

Edmonton Oilers' captain Connor McDavid took to Twitter last night to welcome Bedard to the WHL in a video.

"We look forward to watching you as you continue to develop and carve your path forward to the NHL," said McDavid.

 

Bedard ended the night with two goals, a +1 rating, seven shots on goal, 10 face-off wins in 14 chances, and first star of the game. The kid can play.