“Connor Bedard Is Too Small For NHL Hockey” 

I mean if you guys think Bedard it too short, I’m happy to take him at 11th

This year’s conn smythe winner was 5’9. Its about the size of the fight not the size of the player

If height wasn't a problem for shifty skilled players like Kane and Crosby, I don't see why it'll be a problem for Bedard. He's very quick and in very good shape with decent physical strength. Martin St Louis was 5'8 and won two art rosses and a hart trophy. The argument is simply invalid.

Hopefully these doubters watched Jonathan Marchessault 5'9 win the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup! This kid is going to be amazing!

He’s 17… still a lot of time for him to grow, he’s gonna be just fine !

The issue is that too many people have a double digit IQ and simply react emotionally at the first chance given. It's sad, but it is what it is.

I don't think Bedard will burst on the scene quite as prolifically as Crosby or McDavid in his rookie year, but he'll be just as good when alls said and done. I look at Jack Hughes. All the generational talent, but his size made his first season a little more difficult. If anyone thinks Bedard won't be successful due to his size, they're nuts. But thinking it might take a bit longer for him to dominate isn't nuts at all.

The height comments are always nonsense. This isn't the NBA. 🙄

Bedard will be fine. I just hope people don't expect him to compete with McDavid in the next few year's. The problem with size in this sport is that it'll take some time to adjust to giant's. He obviously has an amazing IQ and will adjust eventually. His dangles won't work out like in the junior's and he, like most skilled players will realize that by making mistakes. In the junior's, you need a few strides and you blasted by the D, in the NHL , he'll lift his head up and realize that it just looks like they teleported 3 feet down the rink, defensemen don't get enough credit for braking, taking off and keeping up with some of these player's. Luckily, Chicago is so horrible that no one in their right mind will put pressure on him to make the playoffs so he'll get a patient fan base.

People dont realise that size doesnt matter as much as speed and hockey IQ anymore. Its useful and physical teams do really well (as the Panthers showed this post-season) but its not a requirement

Damn this is a well done video man. Awesome stuff 👍

Patrick Kane was 5”8’ when he was drafted. He turned out just fine

Cole Caufield is 5’7, nuff said

how did you get the thumbnail photo if u posted this vid at like 2:30 pm?

I like the video! I will add that when the NHL started enforcing obstruction in the early 2000's, it became a lot easier for smaller skill players. I don't know that the general attitude in hockey has adjusted all the way from the 70-90's big body/fight hockey. That being said, I've heard that it is an advantage to have a bigger center.. Why is that? Is there a chance Bedard would be better off on the wing? Honest questions And for the playoffs.. The Hawks can add a lot more talent, and still tank with bad goaltending. They might ride Mzarek for another high pick next year.

as a hawks watching this almost 2 days later, post draft, pre free agnecy, kyle davidson has already made some huge moves. i hope free agency works out well for us and if some bigger names like domi comes back or even i have this gut feeling bertuzzi will end up in our roster only because of hall and foligno being with us now too. maybe even the bedard effect comes into play too?

Okay, Theo Fleury, Tie Domi, Cliff Ronning, Doug Gilmour are just a few of the players who played in the NHL, and their lack of size never stopped them. These guys also played in a tougher, more physical era. Wendel Clark was 5'11", he played the game as one of the toughest players to ever play the game and fought every heavy-weight!

Your content is fantastic. As someone who has been fortunate enough to be completely enthralled in everything Hockey for 15 years, the way you are able to tie in your in-depth commentary to correlating clips that match your points impresses me each time you make an upload. Your hard work and well thought out opinions do not go unnoticed. Cheers to a fantastic beginning to what I hope is a long career for you within the game.

I find it funny when people act like hes a 5'1 midget, like dude 5'10 is only 1 inch shorter than Crosby, who cares? Also his iq is phenomenal, he is Gretzky like with his almost magical ability to always know when and where the open space is going to be. Unrelated but that shot of his might be the most satisfying release ive ever seen, that whipping motion of the top hand is so unique

The lateral mobility of a smaller player is an advantage inside smaller diameter.

Absolutely correct -- Saw Bedard play NYE, Canada vs. Sweden. Sweden's team was bigger and maybe more physical than Canada's, and they couldn't knock Bedard off the puck. He was consistently protecting the puck and then distributing it, against NHL-sized players who, at a glance, looked like they would just throw him to the side. I went in there thinking it was more likely to see a display of skill and sniping -- what I saw, was strength, puck distribution, and the off-the-charts hockey IQ alluded to in this video. With Bedard playing next to Taylor Hall, I am expecting Hall will have at least 30 goals, and Bedard will have at least 50 to 60 assists in his rookie year.

Speaking facts! Thanks for level headed content!

This video is a masterclass. The analysis, the clips, the presentation style... everything. 10 out of 10 from me.

These are great commentaries! 🙏

They said Ray Ferraro was too small for the NHL. They even said he was too small for the WHL. For that matter, I remember a lot of people, including sports writers, saying Wayne Gretzky was too small for the NHL.

Kane, Marchand, Zuccarello, Caufield, Fleury, St. Louis, Dionne, Cournoyer, Bower, Worsley...etc.

Not to be pedantic but Kane was actually 5'9.5" 162lbs when he was drafted.

"2007... 16 years later (today)". Holy crap. I had to do a double take on the math there. Wow.

30 goals, 45 assists. I’m betting he’ll start off slow, adjusting to the NHL game, but by the Allstar game, he’ll be averaging a point per game.

He’s only 17, he can keep growing too. Also great video!

mcdavud, matthews and bedzy are different in that bedzy is 18 and already not afraid to get physical, despite his small size

Only in hockey can a measly 2 inches be the equivalent of two skyscrapers. And these distractors are completely forgetting that Bedard is only 17. He's still growing.

I get the arguments in this video that size won't be an issue for Connor Bedard. However, here's my thought on small players: • When adked if he remembers NOT being the best player, Eric Lindros answered that he was on a team of guys who physically matured early • in 1981, Dale Hawerchuk and Ron Francis were 5'11" and drafted 1st and 5th respectively (maybe Francis was taken 4th or 7th, Jim Benning was taken 6th).Dale Hawerchuk won the Calder Trophy and became the youngest player to score 100 points while Ron Francis was the second best rookie. But Ron Francis suffered a sophomore jinxa and never came out of it for 2 seasons. When he finally started living up to his projections, he was 6'1, a full 2 inches taller than when he was 18. He had to grow into his body! Although Hawerchuk at the end of his career was ahead in career points, Francis continued playing, finished 10th in league scoring at the age of 37! My point is that a little guy may have matured earlier than the big guy. His coordination, strength and timing may have come to him sooner while a taller, lankier 18-year old boy has yet to fill out and have his coordination come to him. I'm wondering if Connor Bedard will physically improve or has he reached his maximum level and his only improvement will be experience. If he is to succeed, I suspect that he is head and shoulders above the next best guys who are bigger but he will have to be sooooooo good that the gap between him and a still maturing big guy will only be narrowed but not closed. Am I making sense here? Size doesn't really matter at age 25 but at 18 the little guy might have stoped growing and physically developing sooner than his contemporaries.

I wouldn't be surprised if Bedard has a slower than expected start in his first season. He's one of the younger players in the draft class, still 17. The league appears to be extremely difficult now for 18 year old players to succeed. The last time a player really tore up the league in their draft season was Matthews and he was already 19 by the time the season started. More recently, Sillinger put up 31 points, Stutzle a 45 point pace, Hughes 28 point pace. 40+ points would be a good first season for Bedard. I don't think his height will be an issue, it's more about adjusting to the level of play.

They said I was too small for your dad but I always leave him satisfied.

Man this kid is good his height don’t mean shit this kid is jacked

As a Chicago fan, finally something to look forward to.

Maybe this is a dumb thought but honestly I feel like during the off season teams should get everyone together coaches owner gm players and talk about what type of players they need to get and what to do

moving to Illinois few months can't wait to see this kid in action

He's only 18 though my guy he'll grow into NHL height

Marner, Marchand, Pasternak, Matthew TKachuk, Clarke, all small players but amazing..

This aged very well.

I don't think that Bedard's size will have an affect on his success, other than possible injuries, as he may be out-bodied by defensemen who outweigh him by 30 to 40 lbs. I'd love to see him break Teemu Selanne's rookie scoring record, but I don't see it happening. I doubt that he'll be one of those "first game, first shift, first goal" guys. But, he'll have pretty good success, as a rookie.

Martin St. Louis made a complete fool out of the NHL, by being an undrafted player who ended up getting given a chance by a scout later on and ended up winning the scoring race, MVP awards, stanley cups, etc... He was 5'8", maybe even shorter than that.

this channel is the best hockey channel. Me like hockey.

Depends on the player. Let's see when he gets run every game. So hawks need to protect him. 3:21

Cole Caufield, Martin St-louis, Theoren Fleury, and Mats Naslund are/were smaller, but great players.

Paul Bure, and Kariya were amazing small players oh yeah and St. Louis who’s 5’8”and another great small player

People talking about height being an issue never played against a small fast moving rock solid guy flying around. Big guys would try to hit me and at 5’6 I was rocking people almost 7ft on skates.

I think Jonathan Marchessault put the nail in the "too small for the NHL" people personally

When I look at Connor Bedard, I see Patrick Bateman from American Psycho

So was Theoren Fleury and Gretzky was 165 when he was playing. I hope the people who make these statements aren’t making money off sports.

Jonathan Mashassault just tore thru everyone on route to the cup this year his height wasn't a problem.

This kid is fantastic .I've never seen any pro player shoot the puck with that much accuracy.seriously and I've been watching hockey over 55 yrs.also I'm sick and tired of watching the same teams throwing seasons everytime there's a generational player coming up

That is the EXACT SAME THING they said about Wayne Gretzky! 😅😅

They often said the same thing about Jonathon Marchessault throughout his hockey career. You know him, one of the key players who won the cup as well as the Conn Smythe award? lol

I'm not sure it will translate however it will be interesting the fact mitchkov went 7 is insane

I mean time and time again small players have shown they can be good caufield, debrincat, etc don’t know why teams still pass on players because of size

Yes he is too small. Jets said that about Gretzky. Theo Fleury was told the same thing. Emmit Smith was told the same in the NFL.

the kid has a good bite to his game, he will be just fine, toews in 2006, kane in 2007 a cup in 2010. he is the real deal

Btw, the listed height for NHL players is almost universally inflated. If you’ve ever been around any of them (without their skates), it’s obvious. Bedard is prob 5’8. That aside, when labeling a player “small”, I look at weight. A 5’9 player who’s 195lbs and built like a truck isn’t a small player. A 6’1 beanpole who’s 175lbs is a small player.

gretzky was same size in a much more aggressive league. he'll be fine

Can't wait to see him play.

Benson is 5’10” too I bet be might be a steal in this draft at 13th 4:18

As someone who lives in mtl and a fan of hockey...The habs had 0 bisness in the finals lol look how they played since😂

I know some people will hate me for saying this but I am not thinking immediately he will be one of the best players in the NHL really fast because not because he’s small but he has no people to play with him and the pressure he must have.I mean look at Alexis Lafinerie he went first and look at him now and it almost happened to Jack Huges. I like this kid and I hope he has a lot of success and he doesn’t become like Lafinerie.

Jonathan Marchessault wins the Conn Smythe at 5’9” 183lbs. People that focus on size are being narrow minded. Yes, size matters, but it also depends on several factors. Bedard “most likely” will perform just fine. If he doesn’t. Size won’t be the only reason why. There are hundreds more players who are over 6’ that never make it to the NHL. A great hockey player is a culmination of dozens of factors. The size debate is pointless.

Bruh what about Nathan Gerbe. That dude was 5'4 in the NHL

I would be shocked if he got less than 100 pts in his rookie season. But maybe something like 90 - 110 pts in his first year. probably 40-45 goals.

Anyone who says that height matters is wrong. Look at Brad Marchand and Martin St.Louis they’ve both been to the cup and won the cup.

I heard this about Jack Hughes too. We all see how wrong the haters were about that one

This argument has been funny to me for a while. Like, there’s a slew of effective and even star players in the NHL smaller than Bedard with less skill and ability

didnt they say the same thing about Theo Fleury

Brayden Point 5'10 is one of the best centers with 2 cups

So we’re Henri Richard ( eleven cups ), Yvon Cournoyer and Denis Savard. Need I go on with dozens of other examples?

I'm hyped on Connor Bedard. I can't wait to see him play.

Lol good way to get views bro and people to click on your video. 😂 brilliant if I’m being honest. Lol if height of players really truly mattered than none of these guys ever would have played in the NHL Theo Fleury, Johnny “hockey” Gaudreau, Cole Caufield, Alex Debrincat, Henri Richard, Matt Zuccarello, Brad Marchand, Brian Gionta, Nathan Gerbe lol I could go on all day with a massive list of short players all day long that absolutely dominate(d) the game. Bedard will be just fine in the NHL the kid can adapt and I’m excited to see what he can do and will do in this league. Even if it is for the crumby ol’ Blackhawks. 😂

Bedard's size isn't going to dictate whether he is successful in the NHL. If he can elevate his game to the NHL level he will be fine. If not, he will be another first round pick that doesn't live up to the hype.

Theo fleury was 5:6 skill and a will to win is all you need size does not matter in the nhl

Kane, marchand, caufield, marchessault. Just to name a few

Martin St-Louis, 5'8" 180 pounds won 2 Art Ross trophies and 1 Stanley Cup and that was in the years where hooking wasn't a penalty! So at 5'10" Bedard will amaze you! Hey if Chicago thinks he's too small send him to Montreal we love small players here!!!

"They" also said Wayne Gretkzy was too small and too slow. He kinda did okay...

Everyone thought Cliff Ronning and Wayne Gretzky weren’t suitable for the tough NHL.

As a blackhawks fan, I really doubt he can take us to the playoffs first season. We will most likely create a roster of full speed and nobody to protect Bedard. It's like the chicago specialty. But I do have hope for a few years from now.

How’s Jonny gaudreu

It's about weight and grit. They must be combined.

Size can be a problem for a lot of players. Just as much as bad skating for big players. Just never hear about the ones that don’t work out. Bedard is too good for size to be a problem though

Reminder John Scott has 70 point in 705 professional hockey game and he talk about success…..

Bedard is gonna make almost everyone look silly on the ice. I can’t wait till he dominates the shit out of our rivals

everyone was worried about kane because of his small size, his size? bang on average(like overall average, not nhl average). lol.

Kaprizov is also 5'10'' and he has done just fine in the NHL. He's successful because he has some of the best edgework in the NHL with a great shot as well. Bedard is still only 17. He could still grow a few more inches and has plenty of time to gain some muscle mass. I think the main issue is the lack of talent surrounding him on the Hawks.

Conn Smythe winner was 5’9

If you have good hands and speed then height will not be an issue.

Martin St. Louis. He did okay.

@ 02:33 trying to pass Bedard off as McDavid 🤣🤣👌

Martin St Louis come to mind....

One word. Gretzky. He played at a time when things were more rough and tumble than they are today. Best ever.

Kaner is built like my chel player 😂

Hockey is a sport being 5’8 to 6’ is a massive advantage. Everyone I know over 6 ft tall is slow as fuck on the ice.

This is an outdated view. Very few hockey fans talk about needing to draft size. This video was relevant 20 years ago.