No. 1 NHL prospect forward Connor Bedard, the projected top pick in the upcoming NHL draft, was named the inaugural winner of the IIHF Male Player of the Year Award Monday. The Male Player of the Year announcement comes shortly after Hilary Knight of the United States was named IIHF Female Player of the Year.
“This is such a huge honor,” Bedard said, per the International Ice Hockey Federation. “I’m not sure how to compare it to others I’ve received, but it’s pretty incredible to receive this award with all the unbelievable players that have competed in the IIHF this season and the amazing players that were nominated for this award.”
Bedard captured 31.8 per cent of the total votes, but the battle for second was notably close. Latvian goalie Arturs Silovs had 19.6 per cent of the vote, just ahead of Swiss forward Andres Ambuhl, 19.2 per cent. German defender Moritz Seider was a distant fourth with 14.3 per cent while another Canadian teenager, Adam Fantilli, had 11.9 percent. German JJ Peterka (2.1 per cent) and Czech Dominik Kubalik (1.0 per cent) also received votes from an international panel that included media from 22 countries and IIHF Family from around the world.
Bedard’s numbers speak for themselves.
Bedard, 17 years-of-age, led Team Canada to the gold medal at the World Junior Championship leading the tournament with 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in January. Only three players ever totaled more points in one World Juniors, and he set Canadian records for points and assists.
He completed the trifecta taking home the player of the year, top prospect and top scorer awards at the Canadian Hockey League awards this month after recording 143 points (71 goals, 72 assists) in 52 games for the Regina Pats. He far outpaced the WHL with Chase Wheatcroft in second with 107 points. He has been compared to Syd ‘The Kid’ Crosby and Wayne Gretzky, who is highly regarded as the best hockey player of all time.
Bedard, from North Vancouver, British Columbia, is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft June 28-29 in Nashville.
Bedard is almost universally considered the crown jewel of the 2023 NHL draft class. Mike G. Morreale of NHL.com wrote how he is drawing parallels to Crosby and Connor McDavid in terms of his predraft stock.
As soon as the Chicago Blackhawks won the draft lottery, fans in the Windy City were eagerly anticipating the moment Bedard don a Blackhawks uniform for the first time.
Today belongs to Bedard, whose exceptional season is an inspiring reminder that dreams do come true if you work hard enough. “I keep all my medals in my bedroom,” he said. “I brought the World Junior medal to Regina with me after the tournament, and then brought it home when our season ended.”
