Not surprisingly, Bedard of Regina in the Western Hockey League is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings presented by BioSteel of the top North American skaters eligible for the draft, which is scheduled to be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The first round will be June 28 and Rounds 2-7 on June 29. The NHL Draft Lottery to determine the first 16 picks in the draft will be held in April.
Central Scouting revealed its midterm ranking of the top North American skaters and goalies, and the top International skaters and goalies, on Friday. Center Leo Carlsson of Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional league in Sweden, is No. 1 among International skaters.
Rounding out the top five North American skaters are center Adam Fantilli of the University of Michigan, center William Smith of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team, right wing Ryan Leonard of the NTDP, and center Brayden Yager of Moose Jaw in the WHL.
Bedard (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) was named the most valuable player of the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship after leading gold medal-winning Canada with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games to become the third NHL Draft-eligible player to be named WJC MVP in the past eight tournaments (Alexis Lafreniere, Canada, 2020; Jesse Puljujarvi, Finland, 2016).
“Connor Bedard has risen to every challenge and situation over the past three years and has excelled due to his tremendous talent, and he’s done so as one of the youngest players on each team,” Central Scouting vice president Dan Marr said. “At this year’s World Juniors, he again showed that he is a high-character player, and the hockey world was able to see his leadership ability to take charge and take his team to a gold medal.”
The 17-year-old right-shot center holds the record for most goals and points by a Canada player in a single World Juniors, and he had the fourth-most points of any player in a single WJC, behind Sweden forward Peter Forsberg (31, 1993), Sweden forward Markus Naslund (24, 1993) and Finland forward Raimo Helminen (24, 1984).
Despite missing 11 games while participating at the WJC, Bedard still leads the WHL in assists (39) and points (70) in 29 games, and has a 28-game point streak (31 goals, 39 assists). It’s the longest in the WHL since Brett Leason (Anaheim Ducks) of Prince Albert had a 30-game streak in 2018-19.
“When we start to use the term ‘generational talent,’ some people get into a knot about that stuff and think we’re loosely using that as a description, but that’s exactly what [Bedard] is. And when you are that type of talent, it’s all-encompassing,” Sportsnet scouting analyst Jason Bukala told the “NHL Draft Class” podcast. “There are special athletes in any sport that come along once in a while. They’re just in tune in so many different categories, and I’d qualify Bedard that way.
“He can be in the League right now, and depending what team he was playing for, certainly be right there in the Calder Trophy discussion as NHL rookie of the year, in my opinion.”
Fantilli (6-2, 195) leads Michigan with 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 16 games as an 18-year-old freshman. He had five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games for Canada at the 2023 WJC.
“Fantilli’s freshman year results over the first half of the season are truly impressive,” Marr said. “He has proven that he has the necessary intangibles and commitment to do what is needed to be the best he can be, which is why he is a projected top draft pick for 2023.”
Smith (6-0, 178), who is committed to play at Boston College next season, is second on the NTDP with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 30 games. He took part in USA Hockey’s WJC development camp but had to leave because of an illness.
Leonard (5-11, 190), also committed to Boston College, ranks third on the NTDP with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 28 games, and is first with eight power-play goals.
Smith and Leonard are two of five NTDP skaters projected to be first-round selections, according to Central Scouting. Center Oliver Moore (5-11, 188) is No. 6, right wing Gabriel Perreault (5-11, 165) is No. 15, and center Danny Nelson (6-3, 202) is No. 22.
Yager (5-10, 166) is tied for 12th in the WHL with 50 points (18 goals, 32 assists) in 40 games. He also has 26 power-play points (seven goals, 19 assists) and has won 51.3 percent of his face-offs.
Carlsson (6-3, 198) had six points (three goals, three assists) in seven games for fourth-place Sweden at the 2023 WJC while playing left wing. He has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) and is averaging 15:26 of ice time in 25 games with Orebro.
“He had some minor problems with illness during the preliminary round of the World Juniors but was a key player (two goals) in the quarterfinal round against Finland,” NHL director of European Scouting Goran Stubb said. “Leo has an excellent set of tools, including skating, puck-handling, mobility and great offensive instincts.”
Rounding out the top five International skaters are right wing Matvei Michkov (5-10, 172) of Sochi in the Kontinental Hockey League; defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka (5-11, 176) of Skelleftea in the SHL; Slovakia-born center Dalibor Dvorsky (6-1, 201) of AIK in the second division in Sweden; and left wing Eduard Sale (6-2, 174) of Brno in the Czech Extraliga.
“The biggest difference between (Carlsson and Michkov) right now is circumstances, whereas Carlsson is in a positive environment to hone his game and development while Michkov has missed time with injury and changed teams (loaned to Sochi from SKA St. Petersburg),” Marr said. “A strong and consistent second half by both these talents will determine who ultimately will be No. 1 on a final list. Each is deserving of the recognition based on their performances over the past couple of seasons.”
Michkov has five points (four goals, one assist) and is averaging 15:33 of ice time in eight games with Sochi; he did not have a point and was averaging 3:11 of ice time in three games with SKA St. Petersburg.
The No. 1 North American goalie is Carson Bjarnason (6-3, 186) of Brandon (WHL). He’s 15-11-2 with a 2.88 goals-against average, .912 save percentage and two shutouts in 29 games.
“Carson is very competitive, focused and determined,” said Al Jensen of NHL Central Scouting. “He has very good quickness, especially in reactions, recovery and lateral play. He’s got very good pro potential.”
The No. 1 International goalie is Alexander Hellnemo (6-2, 183) of Skelleftea’s team in Sweden’s junior league. The 19-year-old, who was born in Boblingen, Germany, is 9-5-0 with a 2.37 GAA and .921 save percentage in 14 games. He also is 3-2-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .893 save percentage in six SHL games with Skelleftea.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
—
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
