At home in the spotlight, Bedard authors another big World Juniors moment
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TSN SportsCentre Reporter Mark Masters reports on the 2022 World Juniors from Edmonton. Team Canada did not practice on Tuesday. Team Switzerland skated at the Downtown Community Arena. Canada faces Switzerland in a quarterfinals matchup on Wednesday.
Connor Bedard doesn't mind the spotlight.
"It's good," the 17-year-old said. "If the media doesn't want to talk to me anymore then I'm not doing something right."
Bedard has been doing plenty of right things at the World Juniors. His latest awe-inducing moment came in the first period of Monday's win. Team Canada's top line got hemmed in their own end for more than a minute and the players appeared to be exhausted. But when Canada finally got the puck, Bedard was off to the races.
"I saw he had a little break there," said centre Mason McTavish. "I just gave him the puck. I was pretty tired so I just headed right off."
"He looked pretty tired in the D-zone," winger Tyson Foerster said of Bedard, "and then he got that burst of speed."
And then muscle memory took over as Bedard wired a shot past Finnish goalie Leevi Merilainen.
"I didn't even see it," said linemate Brennan Othmann, who headed to the bench after McTavish got the puck. "I heard the ping and then I just looked up and he celly'd so I figured it was something special like always. His conditioning must be off the charts. The kid's something special."
"I couldn't believe he went down there and sniped that," said defenceman Olen Zellweger, "but, you know, it's Connor so, yeah. What a shot."
Bedard downplayed the fatigue factor.
"I wasn't too tired," he insisted. "We were kind of standing still for a bit there in our own end."
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Bedard's night started with a bang, but ended on a quiet note. With Canada protecting a lead and taking plenty of penalties, Bedard logged just 30 seconds of ice time in the third period.
"Not that he was bad by any means," coach Dave Cameron explained, "but I thought there were other guys going better."
Bedard finished the night with nine minutes of ice time. Othmann, who also scored in the first period, logged just under eight minutes.
"We got to play better away from the puck," Othmann said. "We got away from that last night. We were running around too much and that's why we got separated and it's the way it is sometimes. Me and Bedsy have to be better in that category. We did a good job offensively, but we have to do a better job in our own end."
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Bedard is a nightmare for most goalies but not, apparently, Dylan Garand.
"I feel like I've had his number in practice, which I'm happy about," Canada's starter told TSN's Tessa Bonhomme following Monday's win.
How is that possible?
"It's surprising me too," Garand said with a chuckle on Tuesday. "I'm pretty happy. I actually talked to him about that last night and he was saying that I was wrong. But I have a bruise on my arm from him from practice two days ago so there's proof that I saved one ... I feel like I know where he likes to shoot in practice a little bit. But, at the same time, it's practice. He sees stuff differently in games and shoots to where it's open so practice is a little different."
Garand has a .930 save percentage in three tournament starts and feels ready for the knockout stage.
"There's always a little bit of nerves, but it's important not to feed into that and just take a deep breath and be in the moment and do what you can do," he said. "As each game has gone on, I feel like I'm getting a little better and shaking off the summer rust."
Garand posted a .933 save percentage in the recent Western Hockey League playoffs helping Kamloops get to Game 7 of the conference finals.
"The whole playoffs are all similar games," said Garand. "There's tons of ups and downs. I'm pretty comfortable with playing elimination games. We played 17 playoff games there so I'm definitely keying in on that experience and using it. It's win or go home and that's the best part of hockey."
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Ridly Greig scored an even-strength goal and made a highlight-reel play to set up a power-play goal on Monday, but the centre's biggest moment came on the penalty kill. With Canada down two men for an extended stretch in the third period, Greig blocked a couple of shots to keep Finland's power play, which entered the game clicking at 62 per cent, off the board.
"A little banged up, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," the Ottawa Senators prospect said with a grin. "Whatever it takes to win ... and if it's standing in front of a slap shot I'm going to do it."
"It takes courage to do that," said defenceman Donovan Sebrango, "especially five-on-three when they're unloading one timers and you're sticking your foot in front of it."
Greig was named Canada's best player for the second time in the tournament. He also received that honour, selected by the team, after the opening game against Latvia.
"You notice him all the time," said Othmann. "He hits hard. He can score. He can skate. He's an all-around package."
"He's unbelievable," said Foerster. "His work ethic is insane. His heart. I mean, he blocks shots, back-checks, scores goals. He does it all."
"I wish I was his agent," Cameron said when asked if Greig was ready for the National Hockey League.
A smiling Greig said he was feeling fine on Tuesday.
Sebrango, who played a team-high 21 minutes against Finland, was also in good spirits after making a painful shot block late in the win.
"I'm definitely a little bruised, but I'm feeling good and ready to go," the Grand Rapids Griffin said.
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Greig and wingers Joshua Roy and William Dufour were matched against Finland's top line.
"I love it," Greig said of the role. "I'm going to do everything I can to shut down that line."
Back in December, Greig skated on an energy line with Jake Neighbours and Justin Sourdif, who have not returned this summer. Enter Sherbrooke's Roy and Saint John's Dufour who finished first and second in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring.
"It's a line that can do a little bit of everything," said Team Canada assistant coach Louis Robitaille, who runs the bench of the Gatineau Olympiques.
"You look at the character that Rids has, he plays with grit and passion. A big boy with Dufour. A guy like Roy, really good hockey sense. He likes to shoot, but will also do the details along the wall. Those guys have chemistry so far."
Dufour and Roy failed to make Team Canada in December.
"Being cut at Christmas was maybe an eye-opener for Dufour and, not a wake-up call, but he wanted to be on that team," Robitaille said. "He was really, really good for Saint John. You look at his play at the Memorial Cup as well, he was the MVP. His play with and without the puck was good in Saint John. We like his compete."
What about Roy?
"He's a guy that finds the quiet areas and will do the details that maybe some people don't notice," said Robitaille. "You look at the tip on Greig's goal, he found that place in the slot where he was able to put a stick on it. He puts points on the board and everything, but we also like his commitment without the puck."
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Zellweger picked up three assists in Monday's win.
"He looks for sticks a lot," noted McTavish, a fellow Anaheim Ducks prospect. "That's a huge detail, especially at the next level."
"There's not many D that shoot for sticks," agreed Othmann, who deflected in a Zellweger shot in the first period. "They shoot to score or maybe shoot past the screen, but Zelly is always looking for sticks."
Zellweger is the quarterback on Canada's top power-play unit and set up McTavish for a nice one-time goal against Finland.
"On the power play, he does a great job walking the blue line and dragging the defender out of position and making hard, crisp passes," McTavish said.
Zellweger is now up to six points, which is tied for second in tournament scoring among defencemen.
"He's basically a forward playing D with those hands," said Sebrango. "Some of the best hands I've ever seen in a player let alone a d-man. Watching him walk the blue line is a treat."
"He's got elite feet," observed Cameron. "He sees the ice well. He's a guy that, unless you get your angle on him, especially on the power play, you're not shrinking the ice when he's up at the top. He gets to the middle and once you get to the middle you have all your options available and that gives your power play the best chance of being really effective."
Zellweger led all WHL defencemen in scoring with 78 points in 55 games last season.
"He's crazy good," said Bedard. "His skill and skating and deception is unreal. I'll watch his highlights sometimes just for enjoyment. He's ridiculous."
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Canada's power play is clicking at a tournament leading 60 per cent, but that hasn't stopped the coaching staff from making changes. In Monday's game, Bedard moved from the flank to the bumper spot.
"I've played it a little bit," Bedard said. "It's a lot about supporting [the puck]. At U18s I played it and at the last World Juniors. In Regina, I'm on the flank so you don't play it as much, but it's pretty easy to get used to."
"He was real good there at Christmastime," Cameron pointed out, "and you're always looking to tinker a little bit. We got five real good guys there. We kind of thought it would give us a better chance to play faster on the power play. [Logan] Stankoven on the flank, he moves the puck a little bit quicker and gets it to the net a little quicker."
Canada now has six power-play goals in the tournament from six different goal scorers.
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When Canada and Switzerland last faced off in a World Junior quarterfinal back in 2018, then Swiss coach Christian Wohlwend admitted his team had no chance even before the puck dropped.
"A Canada team who dominates us again," Wohlwend famously replied when asked what he expected. "They are faster. They are bigger. They are stronger. They can shoot better. They can pass better. They can do everything better."
Canada went on to win 8-2.
The current Swiss coach is striking a significantly different tone in Edmonton.
"There's a little chance for us," said Marco Bayer. "I believe that. But, if we want to beat Canada, our team has to bring our best performance in the tournament."
Bayer believes his team can draw confidence from how they handled games against the Group B heavyweights. Switzerland lost 3-2 to Sweden and were tied 1-1 with the United States midway through the second period before falling 7-1.
"Right now the pressure is not in our hands," he said. "Canada has to win, for sure, and we're there to do everything to make a surprise. [I] hope the hockey God will be with us."
"We know what we can [do]," said defenceman Maximilian Streule. "If you're not confident in a quarterfinal in the World Juniors then I don't know what you're doing here. So, we're all confident. We know what we can do and we're trying to pull an upset here."
What do the Swiss need to do to have a chance?
"We have to play really, really tough in the defensive zone and wait for mistakes to get in a transition game," Bayer said. "Hopefully, we get some chances [on the] power play. In the O-zone, I think there's a chance to find some holes, to bring pucks to the net, to grab it there, find it and put it in. That's what we want to do."
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Jesper Wallstedt took the blame for Sweden's 3-2 loss against the United States.
"I'm disappointed in myself," Wallstedt said on Sunday night after a 38-save performance. "I betrayed the whole team and disappointed the whole country."
Apparently, the star goalie said something similar inside the dressing room.
"He said some words right after the game," revealed captain Emil Andrae. "I just told him, 'We're a team and we win and lose as a team.' So, that's not on him. He's been really good and we know he's going to be there for us every night. He's probably the best goalie in this tournament."
Wallstedt stood by his statement on Tuesday.
"I have to take responsibility," the Minnesota Wild prospect said. "If I want to be a leader on my team and lead the way for Team Sweden I have to take responsibility for my actions out there. If I'm not good enough I have to be honest with myself about it so I can go back and analyze and try and become better from it. And that's what I've done the last couple of days."
Calle Clang played Monday's final preliminary round game, which allowed Wallstedt to regroup.
"I don't think I'm going to be doing any big adjustments," he said. "The technical side of my game is strong. I just have to refocus and let that go and put my mindset on the game coming up now."
What does he know about upstart Latvia?
"Not much, really," Wallstedt said. "I would guess they'll try and get a lot of pucks to the net and get some greasy goals."
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Team Canada is scheduled to skate at 11 am MT on Wednesday before taking on Switzerland at 5 pm MT.