Bedard's offensive game is comparable but his physical maturity and skating are not what McDavid and Crosby's were at a similar age. Having said that, both McDavid and Crosby played just complimentary roles on Canadian gold medalists at the World Junior, whereas Bedard was the best player in the most recent tournament by a wide margin.
Bedard and other top prospects' names such as the University of Michigan's Adam Fantilli and Sweden's Leo Carlsson, who are also both forwards, will be off the board by the time Tom Fitzgerald and his management team make their first selection.
With the club firmly in a playoff position, that means the Devils selection will be somewhere from No. 17 onwards, assuming current league standings hold firm. What's interesting about tonight's game is that several players will be in action who are expected to fall roughly in line where the Devils should be selecting on June 28.
That group is almost exclusively forwards including Colby Barlow (Owen Sound Attack), Nate Danielson (Brandon Wheat Kings), Brayden Yager (Moose Jaw Warriors), and Koehn Zimmer (Prince George Cougars).
Right-shot defenseman Oliver Bonk (London Knights) is another interesting name: he is the son of long-time NHLer, Radek.
Two other forwards, Quentin Musty (Sudbury Wolves) and Andrew Cristall (Kelowna Rockets), were picked to play but are injured. Both are expected to be first-round picks in roughly the same bracket as the players already mentioned. Musty, who hails from Hamburg, N.Y., played minor hockey for the North Jersey Avalanche.
Cristall and Bedard grew up together and Bedard expressed his disappointment when it was announced earlier this week that his friend was sidelined.
"It sucks about (him) not being able to come," said Bedard, "…we were super excited and we're super close. There are a lot of guys (in the game) who grew up in Vancouver. I'm pretty good buddies with Danielson as well."
Beyond the quality at the top end, the overall depth among the first three or four rounds is thought to be quite deep.
Translation: the Devils, who currently have picks in the first, second and fourth rounds, will have three shots at adding a solid prospect in that bracket; And again, beyond the bigger names, many of those potential players suited up for the game.
To wit, Devils prospect Josh Filmon, for example, was not taken until the sixth round (166th overall) last year. Playing against Bedard's Pats in a recent home-and-home, Filmon scored his 30th goal of the season to sit third in Western Hockey League. Bedard is the leader with 39.
Traditionally, between half and two-thirds of the players who take part in the Top Prospects Game end up being selected. That ratio was much higher until the draft was reduced to seven rounds in 2005. Typically, the Devils make at least a couple of selections who played in the game each year dating back to its inception in 1996.
Last year, goaltender Ty Brennan (Cougars) and Filmon (Swift Current Broncos) were taken by the Devils after playing in the game. Two years ago, it was canceled due to the pandemic but in 2020 the Devils got Dawson Mercer in the first round (18th overall). Utica Comets goaltender Nico Daws, who has already seen action in 25 games for the big club, was scooped up 66 picks later in the third round. He was selected to play that year but was injured in the warmup.
The annual game is a joint production between the Canadian Hockey League, the umbrella loop that incorporates the three major junior leagues north of the border. The CHL conducts the event but the 40 players are determined by taking input from all 32 NHL clubs and the mid-term rankings by the league's Central Scouting bureau.
