Connor Bedard was about to jet off to a sunny destination.
He wasn鈥檛 happy about it.
With minor hockey tryouts just around the corner, Bedard 鈥 the projected No. 1 pick at next week鈥檚 NHL draft, but at the time simply a youngster with big dreams 鈥 begrudgingly agreed to his family鈥檚 Hawaiian vacation.
There was a caveat: a couple of extra items needed to be packed, namely some sticks and his in-line skates.
鈥淗e didn鈥檛 really want to go,鈥 Tom Bedard, Connor鈥檚 dad, recalled with a laugh. 鈥淥nly gone 10 days or something, but for him that was a lot.
鈥淣ot thrilled.鈥
When the Bedards rolled up to the airport, the stick bag set to be loaded on a plane heading to a chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean raised some eyebrows.
And once they arrived in paradise 鈥 Tom, wife Melanie, daughter Madisen, and Connor 鈥 the hockey-mad youngster quickly laced up and hit the seawall.
鈥淗e was flying around,鈥 Tom Bedard said in an interview with The Canadian Press. 鈥淲e eventually got our beach time. It was a fun trip 鈥 once he chilled a little.鈥
The family is about to embark on another journey.
Connor Bedard, the 17-year-old Regina Pats 91原创 who has turned heads since he was 11 and tore the Western Hockey League to pieces this season with 143 points in 57 games, is as safe a bet as possible to be selected No. 1 by the Chicago Blackhawks at the NHL draft in Nashville on Wednesday.
鈥淎 lot of work put in,鈥 Bedard said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty exciting.鈥
The top-ranked North American skater, who took home a boatload of individual honours in 2022-23, has drawn comparisons to the game鈥檚 generational talents, including Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid.
鈥淧retty cool to hear that, but I don鈥檛 pay attention,鈥 Bedard said. 鈥淚鈥檓 my own person, I鈥檓 my own player. I鈥檓 going to try to carve my own path. Hopefully I鈥檓 that good or half that good.
鈥淕ive it everything I got to be the best I can be.鈥
That commitment is something Tom Bedard saw early 鈥 even before Connor was told he would have to play up a level as soon as he enrolled in minor hockey.
鈥淎lways all-in to practise or play,鈥 Tom said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the work ethic and the interest in the game, and the interest to get better.
鈥淛ust what he likes to do.鈥
Then there was the time Connor broke his right hand 鈥 the bottom hand when holding a stick 鈥 but continued practising with one arm until he was healed.
Some kids would have sat on the couch for two months. But not Connor Bedard.
鈥淲asn鈥檛 surprised,鈥 Tom said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 just what he does. He wants to skate, he wants to play.
鈥淒idn鈥檛 really have any other interests.鈥
When you鈥檙e this good at something, it鈥檚 easy to understand why.
The first person granted exceptional status to play in the WHL at age 15, Bedard was in a two-horse race with Adam Fantilli to be the top pick when both suited up for Canada at the world junior hockey championship.
By the time the holiday tournament was over, there was little doubt which player would be called first in June, and it鈥檚 not like Fantilli had regressed.
It鈥檚 that Bedard, who rewrote record books thanks to his vision, bullet shot and flair for the dramatic, was breathtakingly elite in guiding the country to gold and grabbing MVP honours.
鈥淪ome of my dreams,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o have a few of those has been special.鈥
And to be clear, it鈥檚 not just the North Vancouver, B.C., product鈥檚 on-ice talents that turn heads.
鈥淐ontinues to excel in all areas,鈥 said NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr, who also pointed to Bedard鈥檚 leadership skills. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the intangibles that can truly make a superstar.鈥
Marr first saw Bedard in person at the under-18 world championships. Canada was up against one of the smaller nations, and the NHL鈥檚 top scout told Bedard afterwards the player appeared to think it was going to be easy.
鈥淚 think he was surprised at the level of the intensity,鈥 Marr said. 鈥淣ext game, you could see he had a completely different approach.鈥
Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock got an up-close view of Bedard throughout his three years in Regina, including a rookie campaign cut short by COVID-19.
鈥淐ertainly didn鈥檛 take him for granted,鈥 said Paddock, who spent parts of eight seasons behind NHL benches. 鈥淚 think we鈥檒l look back at it more fondly as time grows and he鈥檚 doing what people expect him to do at the next level.鈥
The five-foot-10, 185-pound Bedard has dominated headlines leading up to this draft, and impressed his contemporaries in the process.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been at this for a long time,鈥 said Matteo Mann, a defenceman in this year鈥檚 class. 鈥淩eally far along in the development of his physical attributes.鈥
For all of the skills, Mann added many observers don鈥檛 realize how unique Bedard鈥檚 shot 鈥 using a longer stick than most players his size 鈥 is when it comes to manipulating the angle.
鈥淓very guy knows he鈥檚 going to pull and drag that puck,鈥 Mann said. 鈥淗e brings it in so much that it does miss your stick 鈥 it鈥檚 deceptive.鈥
Tom Bedard has watched his son develop that, and every other aspect of his game, while navigating the pressures of teenage superstardom.
鈥淨uite a journey,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to put it all together 鈥 five, six years ago he was just little.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to wrap your head around it.鈥
The Bedard family is set to share a special moment in Tennessee, but one chair will be empty.
Connor鈥檚 grandfather and Tom鈥檚 dad, Garth, was killed in a car crash in B.C. in April 2021. Connor scored two goals in the Pats鈥 next game.
鈥淗e鈥檇 be very proud of Connor,鈥 Tom said. 鈥淪eeing that he reached this point is special. It鈥檚 so unfortunate he can鈥檛 be there.
鈥淲e鈥檒l just hope he鈥檚 looking out for him.鈥
Connor and his dad have had plenty of conversations about the game. But they鈥檝e never spent much time looking back, and certainly never gazed too far ahead.
But a draft moment that was once far off in the distance now rests just over the horizon.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 ever think of this happening,鈥 Tom Bedard said. 鈥淎lways the next shift, the next tournament, the next whatever.
鈥淣ow all of a sudden, you鈥檙e here.鈥
Ready to embark on a trip to the NHL 鈥 one Connor Bedard is keen to take.
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