Bedard poses problem for Wheat Kings

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This article was published 04/10/2022 (1324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Brandon Wheat Kings understand the challenge they’re facing tonight, and even have a sense of how they’re going to deal with it.

Now it’s just a matter of putting their plan into action.

The Wheat Kings (1-0-1-0) host Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats (2-3-0-0) in Western Hockey League action at Westoba Place at 7 p.m., with the knowledge that the task of shutting down the uber-talented 17-year-old forward has been a daunting challenge for other teams so far.

Brandon head coach Don MacGillivray said Bedard is a special player.

“It’s pretty well documented that he’s a threat every time he plays,” MacGillivray said. “He’s dangerous. He’s on the scoresheet every night and makes their offence go a little bit. But they have some other players, too, who can put the puck in the net.

“I think with Connor Bedard, you have to make him work 200 feet to get his goals. That’s the key. If he gets loose pucks or you let him get away in the defensive zone, he’s going to make you pay.”

Shutting him down doesn’t guarantee success because Bedard certainly isn’t Regina’s only threat. Borya Valis and Tanner Howe are among a logjam of players tied for sixth in league scoring with six points each.

Bedard, who is almost certain to be the top pick in the next National Hockey League draft, leads the WHL scoring race with nine points in five games.

Brandon goalie Carson Bjarnason, who has had a strong start to the season, learned from four clashes with Bedard last season.

“He obviously has an elite shot and is a good skater and a good playmaker,” Bjarnason said. “I have to treat him like any other player and square up to him and just play loose against him.”

Last season, the Wheat Kings held Bedard to a goal and five assists in six games. Based on the fact he had 51 goals and 100 points in 62 games, that’s actually an impressive feat. As a 15-year-old rookie in the Regina hub, Bedard had three goals — including an overtime winner — and an assist in three games against the Wheat Kings.

“I think you play as you always play,” MacGillivray said. “We want to play a certain way anyway. We don’t want to have one guy shadow him, for example. I think we want to do the things we’re good at. At the same time, when you do your pre-scout, you see him on the video a lot. There is a way you have to play to make it harder on him, but you’re probably never going to be able to shut him down completely.

“In the Regina hub, we had him shut down for a majority of the game and then turned it over and he makes you pay. He was on the board every game we played him, and on the board lots last year when we played against him. We have to make him worry about us and defend a little bit too.”

If there’s been a way to neutralize the Pats offence this season, it’s been by attacking in the other direction. Regina has given up a league-high 22 goals, although they’re also one of just two teams that has played five games, with four of them on the road.

Regina allowed three goals in both its wins, and an average of 5.33 goals in its three losses.

Of course, Brandon will also need good goaltending.

Bjarnason has played well in his debut season as a starter, compiling a .936 save percentage through two games. He’s had to be sharp as the defenceman and forwards adapt to the team’s structure: He’s already faced a number of breakaways and odd-man rushes.

Perhaps most impressively, he turned aside all 31 shots he faced in the first period against the Winnipeg Ice and Moose Jaw Warriors, giving his teammates a chance to find their footing and earn three out of a possible four points.

“That’s my job,” Bjarnason said with a chuckle. “I’m not going to take too much praise for it, the guys play good in front of me too. Obviously I have to keep the train rolling on that end of things.”

ICINGS: Regina acquired 17-year-old forward Sam Oremba from the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2024 WHL draft, a second-round pick in 2023, and a third-round pick in 2025. Oremba — who is from Regina and is expected to make his debut with the Pats tonight — was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft and has six goals and 15 assists in 73 regular season contests … Pats defenceman Ty Plaisier, 17, of Virden made his WHL debut in Calgary on Sunday … McAulay’s Jake Poole was dealt by the Kelowna Rockets to the Victoria Royals on Tuesday for an eighth-round pick in 2024. The 20-year-old forward had 59 points in 124 games with the Rockets … Virden product Grady Lane was announced as an alternate captain for the Spokane Chiefs on Monday.

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