OHL scout analyzes upcoming June NHL draft
Ontario Hockey League scout Mark Seidel has a few glowing words to describe junior hockey superstar Connor Bedard.
Coming off a World Juniors gold medal in Halifax with Team Canada, the Regina Pats forward is the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft. (Supplied)"Generational. He’s a phenomenal player,” he said.
Coming off a World Juniors gold medal in Halifax with Team Canada, the Regina Pats forward is the consensus No. 1 pick in this year’s NHL draft.
"We haven’t seen the stuff he’s been doing since Connor McDavid in the Ontario Hockey League,” said Seidel, the chief scout at North American Central Scouting.
“It’s very bizarre when you’re watching and you see a kid at that age dominate the way he has. You have to go all the way back to Pavel Bure, who dominated as a 17-year-old.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
There's still a long way to go until the draft. Bedard told TSN’s James Duthie on NHL trade deadline day March 3 that the draft isn't on his mind just yet.
"I'm still playing,” Bedard said. “There are a lot of games left and lots to play for in the NHL."
After Bedard, most scouts have a shortlist of the players they expect will be selected next. The list includes Matvei Michkov from Russia and Sweden’s Leo Carlsson.
Right up there is Canadian Adam Fantilli, who is currently starring with the Michigan Wolverines in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
'THOSE GUYS WOULD PROBABLY ALL GO NO. 1'
“Those guys would probably all go No. 1 in some of the past drafts, but just because this year is so deep, they’ll be in the Top 4,” Seidel said.
The top local pick is expected to be Sudbury Wolves forward Quentin Musty. Projected to be a late first-round pick, Musty is a former No. 1 OHL pick. He has 69 points in 46 games this season with the Wolves. (Supplied)The top local pick is expected to be Sudbury Wolves forward Quentin Musty. Projected to be a late first-round pick, Musty is a former No. 1 OHL pick. He has 69 points in 46 games this season with the Wolves.
Musty is described by scouts as a “creative forward” with a “pass-first mentality.”
“I’m a northern guy,” Seidel said.
“You want to see him do well. I think fans in the north have a lot to watch in the next month.”
This year’s draft is scheduled for June 28.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.