Deep Blue Sea: Bedard makes Canada’s WJC roster at 16

Team Canada’s 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship roster was announced last night, and among the list of names was 16-year old Connor Bedard, who becomes just the eighth player in tournament history to make the team at that age.

Bedard joins Wayne Gretzky, Bill Campbell, Eric Lindros, Jay Bouwmeester, Jason Spezza, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid as the only players in the nation’s history to compete in the World Junior Championship at 16 years old.

“It’s a dream come true. To finally hear that I made it is definitely pretty surreal. They came to our doors and told us there, and you couldn’t believe it. It was a long wait,” Bedard told media following the announcements of the roster.

Bedard is currently playing in his second season with the Regina Pats in the Western Hockey League. In his first season, he totaled 12 goals and 16 assists through 15 games. He has slightly fallen off production-wise this season, but has still been dominant, with 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists) through 24 games.

He is a projected top-two draft pick in the 2023 NHL entry draft, as he battles with Russian forward Matvei Michkov for that top selection.

The tournament will get underway on Dec. 26, with Canada taking on the Czech Republic at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta.

News & Notes

• Did Joe Pavelski’s departure trigger the Sharks’ slide? [San Francisco Chronicle]
• Jayden Halbgewachs catching waves in contract year [San Jose Hockey Now]
• Kane makes AHL debut, says he’s “NHL-ready” [San Jose Hockey Now]

Blood in the Water

• Avalanche goalie Johansson placed on waivers [TSN]
• Kings’ Alexander Edler: Moved to IR [CBS Sports]
• Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen placed on COVID-19 protocol list [The Tennessean]
• Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog out 2 weeks with lower-body injury [The Athletic]
• Lazerus: Welcome to the NHL, where dinosaurs still roam the earth [The Athletic]
• NHL should have known about Beijing’s COVID-19 rules [The Globe And Mail]

Scores & Recaps

• Anaheim Ducks 3, St. Louis Blues 2 (OT)
• Nashville Predators 1, New York Rangers 0
• Florida Panthers 2, Colorado Avalanche 3
• Minnesota Wild 4, Vegas Golden Knights 6
• Carolina Hurricanes 1, Vancouver Canucks 2

Click on a team name to find a recap on their SB Nation site!

On the Schedule

• Calgary Flames at Chicago Blackhawks — POSTPONED