Many of today’s NHL Superstars represented their country in the prestigious “World Juniors” at a young age. A potential future superstar joins an elite club: Prior to that, only six Maple Leafs had represented their country in championship events at the age of 16.
The elite list to date includes Conor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Jay Baumeister, Jason Spaeza, Wayne Gretzky and Eric Lindros. When Conor Bedard joins Canada on December 26, he will be the seventh player at age 16 to wear a maple leaf jersey.
Bedard is considered the top pick of the NHL Entry Draft 2023 and is currently in his second season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he was able to collect 24 points in as many games for the Regina Pats. In addition to Bedard, the NHL Entry Draft 2022 for Canada is believed to be the first medal overall as well. Shane Wright had a remarkable season so far for Kingston Frontenac with 30 points from 22 games.
Team Austria will take on one of the favorites for the gold medal on 28 December, with Germany opening the tournament with a game against Finland on the Stephanietag. There will be a huge spectacle between the Austro Rift and the DEB selections on New Year’s Eve.
www.hockey-news.info, Build: Keith Hershmiller/WHL
