Connor Bedard says he鈥檚 not Connor McDavid and wants to carve his own path as a player.
But the 18-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., won鈥檛 enter the NHL thinking McDavid鈥檚 lofty numbers are out of reach.
Bedard, the most anticipated prospect since McDavid after the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him first overall in June, has been training with the Edmonton Oilers superstar this week in Halifax at the NHL鈥檚 BioSteel camp 鈥� a pre-season training competition between 30 top NHL players.
鈥淥bviously (McDavid鈥檚 stats are on) a different level,鈥� said Bedard on a video call Tuesday. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say (it鈥檚 a level) humans can鈥檛 achieve 鈥� you never want to be like 鈥業 can鈥檛 do this.鈥� I don鈥檛 really think that mindset is that great.
鈥淗e鈥檚 kind of the pinnacle right now and you鈥檙e like, 鈥榯his guy鈥檚 the best 鈥� how can I get closer to him?鈥欌��
Bedard singled out McDavid as a player who鈥檚 given him a lot of good advice heading into his first NHL season.
鈥淗e says a lot of good stuff,鈥� said Bedard. 鈥淗e鈥檚 obviously one of if not the best player in the world. So that鈥檚 someone that I鈥檝e been able to kind of be a sponge with and ask some questions.鈥�
McDavid is one of the few people who might understand what it鈥檚 like to be in Bedard鈥檚 shoes considering the path they both took to the NHL.
Both players were granted exceptional status to enter their respective Canadian junior leagues early, McDavid in the Ontario Hockey League and Bedard in the Western Hockey League.
And each of them had historic draft years. McDavid registered 120 points (41 goals, 76 assists) in 47 games with the Erie Otters 鈥� a 2.55 point-per-game pace. Bedard, meanwhile, produced at a 2.5 point-per-game clip with 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 57 games for the Regina Pats last season.
In international junior competition, Bedard has a significant edge in terms of production with 36 points in 16 world junior games while McDavid totalled 15 points in 14 games.
But matching McDavid in the NHL is a different story.
Through eight NHL seasons, the Oilers captain has 850 points in 569 games, with five Art Ross Trophies as the league鈥檚 top scorer and three Hart Trophies as league MVP under his belt. And he鈥檚 only 26 years old.
鈥淗e鈥檚 obviously unbelievable,鈥� said Bedard. 鈥淎nd you can barely talk about his stats because they鈥檙e so ridiculous. But for me, it鈥檚 just kind of trying to be my own player and be the best that I can be.鈥�
Despite the comparisons 鈥� which were further sparked on Monday when BioSteel posted a video of the two training side-by-side to social media 鈥� Bedard says his love for the game helps him block out any outside noise.
鈥淚 think for myself and (McDavid) as well we both just kind of love the game so much,鈥� said Bedard. 鈥淭here鈥檚 obviously pressure from the outside, and I want to do well, I鈥檓 hard on myself and I expect a lot from myself.
鈥淏ut I think the pressure goes away in my mind when you鈥檙e just doing what you love, and obviously hoping to be playing in the in the league I鈥檝e dreamed of playing in for 18 years now.鈥�
The five-foot-10, 185-pound Bedard, with a blistering shot and remarkable skill, has signed his entry-level NHL contract with Chicago.
He鈥檒l be the face of a new era after the departures of two franchise cornerstones who led the Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Patrick Kane, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007 and the second-highest scorer in Blackhawks history, was traded to the New York Rangers after 16 years in Chicago at last season鈥檚 deadline. Though he鈥檚 currently a free agent, rumours aren鈥檛 pointing toward a Chicago return.
Jonathan Toews, Chicago鈥檚 captain for 15 years, is taking a year off from hockey after the Blackhawks announced last season they would not re-sign him.
Despite their departures, Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson made some moves this off-season to surround Bedard with some experience, signing 18-season NHL veteran Corey Perry, and trading for 1,000-game player Nick Foligno and 2010 first-overall pick Taylor Hall.
Bedard says he鈥檚 gotten the chance to get to know some of his new teammates and receives text messages from Foligno 鈥渆very two weeks鈥� to check in on how he鈥檚 doing.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard from every single person that has mentioned him that he鈥檚 one of the best people you鈥檒l ever meet,鈥� said Bedard.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty excited (to have the veterans),鈥� he added. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good for me that those guys have been in the league so long and (are) experienced, you kind of learn from them and have them to kind of help out with things.鈥�
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