from Steven Ellis of The Hockey News,

Most top prospects have the spotlight on them at a young age, but when there’s legitimate “generational” potential – whatever that means to you – that’s magnified. And Bedard is again showing on the top stage of junior international hockey why he’s one of the greatest prospects in the game right now – and among an elite group of superstars that have stood out above the rest....

I polled some scouts at various levels of the game to get a read on what makes the player we can all see dominating his peers so good. With 14 points in just three games, he’ll have no issue passing the post-2000 single-tournament points record of 18, set by Jordan Eberle and Trevor Zegras. He has 14 goals all-time at the WJC to tie Eberle, too, and should have no issue overtaking him before long.

And sure, 13 of the points came against two bottom-feeders, but there’s a bit of nuance behind that. He’s the one creating the damage. Bedard is also on pace for 140 points in the WHL, and he has 48 points in just 27 games with Canada in overall international play. This isn’t a kid kicking the butts of teams that can barely register a shot – he’s better than everyone he plays against, simple as that.

The first thing everyone notices is his NHL-level shot. Bedard isn’t big at 5-foot-9, so he uses a 70-flex stick. For reference, you start seeing pre-teens and young teenagers using that as they finally start building body mass. But he gets so much torque out of every shot, and his release is both quick and deceptive. Bedard can place a shot anywhere he wants, from any angle and regardless of how much pressure he’s dealing with.

“The kid doesn’t waste much time setting up a release,” a scout said. “He doesn’t even need to wind it up much. He gets so much power in so little time. He’s getting a shot away before a defenseman can make the motion for a poke check every single time, and that’s not hyperbole. He’s going to score 60 in the NHL, and more than once.”

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