Finland will meet Canada at the World Hockey Championships today, Saturday at 17:20. The match will be followed moment by moment in the application and on ‘s website.
When Finland takes on Canada at the World Hockey Championships, the most followed player of the entire tournament will jump into the rink. Canada’s Super Promise Connor Bedard18, is hailed as the toughest talent in the hockey world since Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid’s.
Bedard, who represents the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL, tells Urheilu that the decision to join Canada’s World Cup team was made quickly.
– The decision was easy. The end of the NHL season was of course disappointing. I got the opportunity to come here to play hard matches and aim for the World Cup gold, says Bedard.
What do you want to bring to Canada’s World Cup team?
– I want to play my own game and do the right things on the ice. My goal is to be creative, bring power to our offensive game and also be reliable, says Bedard.
Bedard’s decision to participate in the World Cup was certainly influenced by the fact that NHL players will return to national team games in the coming season and also in the upcoming Olympics. The World Cup being played now is a springboard for future value tournaments as well.
– It is clear that everyone wants to be part of the Canadian team. But right now the most important thing is that we are looking for the World Cup gold here. That’s why we are here (in the Czech Republic), Bedard stresses.
A strong debut season in the NHL
Bedard’s NHL debut season in Chicago colors was strong. Last summer’s number one reservation played 68 matches in the general season and scored 22+39 = 61 power points.
– Bedard has exceptional skills in the offensive direction. He already has one of the best shots in the world, he can cover it and shoot from different positions. Bedard is able to pass defensive players, Urheilu’s expert Ismo Lehkonen lists Bedard’s skills.
– Bedard is able to scan the attack zone very well. He finds hidden passes and creates scoring chances.
Bedard played for the Blackhawks last season as a center forward. Lehkonen is not at all convinced that this position would best support Bedard’s playing strengths.
– I ask the question, is he a mid-lane player, i.e. a winning center player? There were huge problems especially in the defensive direction, Lehkonen noted.
– It’s almost a light year away from him being able to play as a center in the middle lane with no gaps also in the defensive direction.
Lehkonen believes that Bedard will be seen as a winger in the future.
– I dare to make a wild guess that his permanent place will be as a winger. In other words, the same place he is currently playing in the World Championships, says Lehkonen.
In Chicago, peace to learn “the ways of the house”
Lehkonen even sees it as a good thing that Bedard plays in a Chicago-style bad NHL team.
– It’s actually the best place, it makes you want to go. You don’t have to worry about winning, you just have to learn “the ways of the house”, describes Lehkonen.
There is less pressure when the team is not expected to succeed.
– In such losing teams, it is quite easy to push players in. There won’t be such a requirement that you have to start caring about playing defense, Lehkonen points out.
Lehkonen follows with interest what kind of decisions Chicago’s club management makes in the summer transfer market.
– I’m looking forward to seeing if Bedard will start as a center again? Or will they take a spoon in the beautiful hand in Chicago and try to find him a top center. This way, Bedard could score even more goals and points as a winger, Lehkonen estimates.
Screens for the upcoming top tournaments
The world’s best ice hockey players will return to prestigious competitions in the coming season after a break of years. Teams made up of NHL players from Canada, the United States, Finland and Sweden play in an international tournament. The matches will be played in February 2025 in Canada and the United States.
An even bigger issue is the return of NHL stars to the Olympic Games in 2026 and 2030. There are enough quality players in Canada, so the World Cup, which is already being played now, is a valuable showcase for tournaments in the coming seasons as well.
– Will Bedard fit into next season’s four-country tournament or, above all, into Canada’s Olympic team? Each of us understands how high-quality players Canada has, Lehkonen underlines.
Canada is expected to win World Cup gold and Bedard to have top-class efficiency.
– Now in the World Cup, we should put such displays on the counter that he would be a very goal-capable player. Without a doubt, you have to be able to perform well in the upcoming playoffs of the World Cup.
Bedard has answered the call in at least his first four matches of the World Cup preliminary series. Powers 5+1 tell about the firepower of a super talent. In the World Cup, Bedard plays as a winger.
– The center is Tampa Bay Nick Paulso Bedard can concentrate on attacking in peace, Lehkonen explains.
Lehkonen reminds that only championships measure the success of a player of Bedard’s level. Only World Cup gold is expected from Bedard and Canada.
– The championship must be won. Bedard will be judged on how many championships or pitchers he has won, Lehkonen emphasizes.