Connor Bedard makes history again as Canada beat Austria

Connor Bedard tied the Canadian record for most lifetime goals at the World Juniors, scoring two goals and six points. Dylan Guenther opened the scoring as Canada cruised to an 11-0 win over Austria.

Here are five takeaways from Canada’s win over Austria.

Connor Bedard equals Canadian record for most goals at World Juniors

Just give him the MVP now.

Connor Bedard tied Jordan Eberlethe Canadian record for most goals of all time at the World Juniors, with his 14th total, spread over two tournaments. This is nut certified. Bedard is a draft-eligible player; 17 years old playing with skaters two years older than him. Bedard’s only competition are the ghosts of the past, no one on the ice tries to compete with him. Good luck to everyone the Regina Pats face when Bédard returns to the Western Hockey League. His first goal surprised even the officials and we have more below.

Here’s how Bedard tied Eberle’s national record:

The vast majority of Bedard’s goals have been of the highlight variety, but this was pure scoring act hidden in a high danger zone. Simply put, it was the least sexy goal Bedard has scored in the entire tournament, but he can score any way you can imagine. It’s only fitting that his record goal is the guy poachers are praised for.

Dylan Guenther quietly organizes an extremely productive tournament

You almost have to feel bad for Dylan Guenther. He scored a hat trick against Germany on Wednesday and it was glossed over – by us too — in light of Connor Bedard’s record-breaking performance. Bedard was once again the best player on the ice by a country mile, but you must be thrilled with Guenther’s tournament to date if you’re a fan of the Arizona Coyotes.

Guenther, the ninth overall pick in 2021, has looked pro-ready in the first three games, though you could argue he’s simply one level above the relatively outclassed competition. He opened the scoring with a fine goal, where Bedard found Brennan Othmann at the mouth of the goal, who then fed Guenther with a magnificent pass between the legs.

The story continues

Guenther was downright amazing throughout all three games, and he proved more than adept at opening up and then claiming his shot on cross passes. He’s played 21 games with the Coyotes this season and it’s so obvious his time in the NHL has really made him a man among the boys this year.

Shane Wright prepares his opponents on the power play

Shane Wright has been one of the main beneficiaries of Connor Bedard’s otherworldly talents, but he also organizes the tournament he was destined for on his own merit. Wright has taken his game to another level when on the power play, scoring on the power play in three straight games.

Wright, in the same vein as Guenther and Bedard, makes it look extremely easy to get into the slot machine and high-risk scoring areas. He’s always had an innate ability to score, but he constantly makes himself available for the clinical pass and just like Guenther, it’s obvious he can get defenders out of his way when he crashes into the net.

Wright was named man of the match for Canada in the loss to the Czech Republic, and he was frankly one of the best players at this year’s tournament. That’s what he’s been meant to be since he achieved exceptional status in the Ontario Hockey League at the age of 15. Now playing with his former minor hockey teammates in Brennan Othmann and Brandt Clarke, Wright looks calm, cool, collected and he absolutely destroys his opponents to the man advantage when they just keep him 1 on. 1.

Bedard and Logan Stankoven scored so quickly it confused the officials

We have to choose our points when analyzing Bedard. He’s been so good throughout the tournament that we’re picking different aspects of his game to talk about. Bedard scored so quickly the officials didn’t even acknowledge the puck was in. Here is what happened :

Here is another video:

Here’s the real-time view inside the arena via JFreshHockey.

Bedard scored from an impossible angle, almost like Roberto Carlos running perpendicular to the goal line before throwing a dangerous through ball. He can shoot from pretty much anywhere, but that usually refers to his long range range and less a suggestion that he should aim and end up almost hitting the boards. It was really amazing. But that wasn’t the only time officials missed an obvious Canadian goal.

Logan Stankoven also confused officials. Stankoven scored one in the goalmouth, placing the puck in the top corner. But the referees and goal judge both missed it in real time, as the game went on for what seemed like an eternity, before Austria took a puck on a glass penalty, forcing a review.

Stankoven revealed during the 2nd interview with TSN that they didn’t know it was a goal or not until they came back to the bench. It was surely a nice surprise in a competition without them.

Benjamin Gaudreau did not face any test

It’s the kind of match Gaudreau wanted after a difficult start on Monday against the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, Gaudreau didn’t face a single dangerous chance from the Austrians and was largely forced to relax and watch the show like the rest of us. Gaudreau made 12 saves and that’s by no means a criticism. But does that tip the scales against Thomas Milic, who started in Wednesday’s 11-2 win over Germany? We do not think so. Milic left for a soft goal and another acceptable, while Gaudreau was withdrawn on a Monday night.

It will be compelling to see who the starter is and once again Gaudreau did everything right. But he didn’t face any real work, so we’ll see how it goes on New Year’s Eve.

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