Bedard chasing goals record as Canada meets Austria

Team Canada held a meeting at their hotel in Halifax on Thursday. Team Austria skated at Scotiabank Centre.

With three goals against Germany, Connor Bedard is up to 12 in his World Junior career, which puts him just two behind Jordan Eberle for Canada's all-time record. Teammates are anticipating history in Halifax. 

"That'd be a pretty cool moment to be a part of and he has all the capabilities to do that tonight," said defenceman Brandt Clarke. "If I'm on the ice for a moment like that, that'd be cool and something to remember." 

"We all know that's [with]in his reach," said left winger Brennan Othmann. "We're going to do our best to get him that honour and when that time comes, he's going to like it and he's going to love it."

Bedard is already rewriting the record book. Last December, he scored four goals against Austria to match the single-game record for Canada. On Wednesday, he tied the single game points mark with seven against Germany. 

"He was just in it every shift," observed Clarke. "He got up to four, five points, but he didn't put it into cruise control. He wanted more and that's the attitude that winners and superstar players like him have. It was pretty remarkable to see."

Bedard, who produced three goals and four primary assists against Germany, shrugged off the accomplishment. 

"It's cool," the Regina Pats phenom said. "There's probably some pretty good names on that list [Dave Andreychuk, Brenden Morrow, Mike Cammalleri and Gabriel Bourque] so that's cool, but it's not a huge deal for me. It's good to get the win and I got a couple lucky ones. So, just one of those nights." 

"With him, it's a short memory and that was last night," said Othmann. "Today's a new day and he's going to have a better game, probably."

How do you beat a seven-point game?

"An eight-point game," Othmann said with a smile. "So, we'll see what happens."

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Seattle centre Shane Wright joked about reaching out to Eberle, who is his teammate on the Kraken. 

"I'll text him and say he's got a guy on his heels," Canada's captain quipped. "I was joking to [Bedard], he's got seven points this game and I think I have six combined all year. Yeah, just an unbelievable game. Pretty crazy what he's doing out there with some of the plays he was making."

Wright has a goal and an assist in eight National Hockey League games this season. The fourth overall pick in July's draft believes Bedard would already be an impact player in the NHL. 

"He could probably put up a couple points a game in that league, too," Wright said. 

Clarke, who has played nine games with the Los Angeles Kings, agrees.   

"Definitely," he said with a laugh. "It's kind of crazy that we're saying that. He's still 17-years-old, but he'd be a top-six guy and star player right now. The shot he has. The way he thinks the game. The way he can get those shots off and the way he weaves through the neutral zone, you can't read that at all. I feel bad for some of these junior defencemen that have to go up against that."

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Bedard draws designs on his stick blade each game. 

"I just randomly did it once this year," he explained. "Someone on my team told me it's something to do with puck marks and then I just started switching it every game. I just have fun with it. It's something to keep me loose and I just enjoy it."

On Wednesday, he had smiley faces on the forehand side of his stick and frowns on the backhand side. 

"It was [Wright]'s idea to do smiley faces and I switched it up on the backhand," he said. 

Bedard scored two goals with the happy side and one with the sad side.

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Othmann serves as the net-front presence on Canada's top power-play unit. 

"That third goal of mine, he was the whole reason for that," Bedard said. "I kind of just sauced it to the net and the goalie couldn't see it. And then I kind of paid him back with smoking one off him. I'll probably get him something."   

This isn't the first time Bedard has drilled Othmann with a shot. 

"It's not really fun," Othmann said with a grin and a grimace. "You get stunned and hurt for a little bit. He's got an accurate shot, so I don't know if he’s meaning to hit me or not (smile). It's all good. I'm not mad at him. I was mad at the time, but I'm not mad now. It's all good." 

Othmann isn't so sure Bedard will make good on his offer of a gift. 

"Ah, I don't know," he said. "I doubt it. He's hit me three times already and he hasn't got me anything yet. That guy's cheap," the New York Rangers prospect said with a laugh.

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Canada changed its forward lines heading into Wednesday's game. Bedard is now slotting in beside fellow British Columbia native Logan Stankoven. 

"I've been a huge fan of his since I was a little kid," Bedard said. "He was always kind of the man in B.C. of that age group and I always kind of idolized him. Now, getting to watch him and be on his line and stuff, it's amazing. He works so hard and he's got all that skill."

"It's pretty cool," said Stankoven, the captain of the Kamloops Blazers. "A top-end talent like that and saying he looked up to me growing up, it's pretty humbling...It's reverse[d] now. I'm the one looking up to him because he's an incredible player."

Bedard and Stankoven also played together at the 2021 under-18 World Championship. 

Joshua Roy is the left winger on the line. 

"They made the game so easy for me with how they play," said Bedard. "It's so much fun to play with them."   

"We created some really good chemistry when we were able to get out there 5-on-5," Stankoven said. 

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Bedard wasn't the only Canadian to score three goals on Wednesday, but there were no hats thrown on the ice when Dylan Guenther turned the trick later in the game. 

"I think some of the guys in the room after, they didn't know I had a hat trick either, so it's kind of funny," the sharpshooting winger said. 

"I knew," insisted Stankoven. "I thought maybe a few more hats should have been thrown out for him, because he's got a great shot and it was on display."

Guenther took Bedard's spot alongside Wright and Othmann on Wednesday. That trio also played together at the 2021 under-18 World Championship. 

"Our line played well," Guenther said. "I would've liked to get one 5-on-5, but that's a step in the right direction for us. We're creating chances and we just got to keep playing the same way and just keep outworking the other team." 

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Ben Gaudreau, who allowed five goals on 17 shots before being pulled during the Boxing Day loss to Czechia, will get another shot on Thursday. 

"It wasn't the greatest game for Benny," said Othmann, "but I've known Benny for many years now and I know he'll bounce back tonight. He's an unbelievable goalie. I had 15 shots on him in one [OHL] game and couldn't get one by him. He's handled this situation really well. He's handled it like a pro."

A big challenge for the Sarnia Sting goalie will be staying focused as Canada controls most of the possession. Thomas Milic dealt with the same issue on Wednesday against Germany. 

"I had to try my best to stay sharp mentally and physically throughout the game and I did a pretty good job of that," the Seattle Thunderbirds goalie said. "A lot of it is breathing or saying things in my head. Sometimes I'll sing along to the songs that are playing in between whistles just to keep myself focused."

Milic allowed two goals on 16 shots. 

"Even though the shot count total might not be there, there's some good Grade-A opportunities there," noted head coach Dennis Williams. "His rebound control was solid. I'm sure he probably wanted back that first one that leaked through him, but that's the way it goes sometimes. But after that he settled in and was calm. That was his first start in terms of the tournament. When you have a goalie playing like he was throughout it, it allowed our D to get a little bit more risky up ice and make some plays."

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Despite building a 9-1 lead through 40 minutes, Canada was determined not to take its foot off the gas against Germany. 

"We talked to our group about it being a 0-0 mindset," Williams said. "We don't play to a score ever. We play to the way we want to play in terms of our habits and our details."

"When you get up like that, it's easy to cheat," Guenther told TSN's Kenzie Lalonde. "We played the right way in the third especially. I thought our tracking was the best in the third and that's a good sign."

Not a good sign for the Austrians, who have been outscored 20-0 in their first two games of the tournament. 

"It's our job as a coaching staff is to give them confidence," said Austria head coach Kirk Furey. "When we go through some tough times, it's to build them back up and keep them motivated to keep going."

Ottawa 67's forward Vinzenz Rohrer did his part to keep the group engaged during a blowout loss to Czechia on Tuesday. 

"He had a message for our group and it's something I've probably never seen before especially in a situation like that," Furey said. "He said to our group, 'We have a choice. We can go one way or the other. We can roll over and stop because it's tough or we can continue to push forward.' He's got the heart of a lion. He never quits. He does everything for the team. His energy is something that everybody can feed off of."

What sparked the second-intermission speech? 

"Frustration," the Montreal Canadiens prospect said. "We really did not play a good game. Our goal is to focus on ourselves and not look at the score. I felt we were passengers and looking at the other team and floating around and that's not what we want to do. Maybe the other team is better skilled, but we still want to be active and do pressure and I didn't see that anymore. I tried to hold the group accountable."

Austria held Czechia to just two goals in the third period.  

Rohrer, a third-round pick in July, is drawing from his NHL experience.

"When you are at those camps, like in Montreal, you see there's so much more to the game than putting the puck in the net," he said. "So, just focus on a more well-rounded game."

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The World Juniors are a homecoming for Furey, who is from Glace Bay, N.S., but hasn't been home in five years. 

"As a young kid, like any Canadian, you're always sitting in front of the television watching the World Juniors," Furey said. "For me, personally, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because it's here in Nova Scotia but, more importantly, I'm really excited for the players. These kids don't get these opportunities very often. It's pretty special here in Halifax. The atmosphere these crowds bring is something these kids will never experience again. The crowds aren't the same in Europe. I'm looking forward to it, but trying to keep the kids not too overwhelmed."

Thursday's media session was Furey's first ever scrum in front of cameras. The 46-year-old did his best to keep the focus on the game.

"It is nice to see family and friends again, but you never want to get away from what you're here to do," Furey said. "You're here for the players. We want to stay up [and not get relegated], there's no doubt about it. It's about that process and the daily routine we have."

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Canada's preliminary round schedule at the World Juniors: 

Monday Dec. 26 - 5-2 loss to Czechia 
Wednesday Dec. 28 - 11-2 win over Germany 
Thursday Dec. 29 - vs. Austria 
Saturday Dec. 31 - vs. Sweden