Fans may not have to wait long before seeing Connor Bedard in a Canada jersey again

Connor Bedard took the hockey world by storm at the 2023 World Juniors, smashing several records by recording 23 points in seven games, earning MVP honours.

The 17-year-old returned to his junior club, the Regina Pats, and in his first game back on Sunday, he had four goals and six points, which included a third period hat-trick.

The Pats currently sit seventh in the Western Hockey League's Eastern Conference, but are only one point up on Swift Current, who are in eighth place, one point back of Regina with five games in hand. They're also two points up on ninth place Brandon, who have one game in hand.

There's a realistic chance that Connor Bedard and the Regina Pats miss the WHL Playoffs entirely, but even if they do make it in, winning a round will be tough.

If they fail to make the playoffs or lose out early, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman wondered if Bedard could be an option for Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Hockey Championship in May.

It wouldn't be the first time that a projected top pick represented his country at the World Championship before the NHL Entry Draft. Last spring, Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec, who went one and two respectively in the 2022 draft, represented Slovakia at the tournament.

Canada will open their 2023 World Chammpionship schedule on May 12th against one of the co-hosts, Latvia. In their group, Canada will also face Slovenia, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Norway and Czechia.

Source: Elliotte Friedman - 32 Thoughts

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