Canada's Connor Bedard, centre, scores the game-winning goal past Slovakia goaltender Adam Gajan right, and Simon Nemec during overtime of IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship quarterfinal action in Halifax, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
Canadian phenom Connor Bedard strung together the best scoring performance at a world junior hockey championship in 20 years, leading his country to its 20th gold medal on Thursday.
The 17-year-old had a tournament-best 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists), which was the fourth-highest total at a single world junior championship.
The Canadian Press takes a look at the five greatest scoring performances at the world juniors.
PETER FORSBERG, SWEDEN
Forsberg still lays claim to the greatest scoring performance at a world juniors dating back to the 1993 showcase. He had 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in seven outings but was unable to lead the hosts past Canada in the gold-medal game. He wound up scoring the shootout winner in the gold-medal game of the 1994 Olympics to avenge his loss to Canada from the world juniors. It was the first of two Olympic golds for him, the other coming in 2006. Forsberg went on to have a 13-year NHL career that spanned between 1994-95 and 2010-11. He won two Stanley Cups, a Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy and a Calder Memorial Trophy. Forsberg finished with 885 points (249 goals, 636 assists) in 708 career games.
MARKUS NASLUND, SWEDEN
Naslund was the leading goal-scorer of the 1993 tournament with 13 goals, while adding 11 assists to sit right behind his fellow Swede. Drafted 10 picks after Forsberg in 1991 (16th overall), Naslund played 15 seasons in the NHL between 1993-94 and 2008-09, with 11-plus of them coming with the Vancouver Canucks. Naslund had 869 points (395 goals, 474 assists) in 1,117 games in a career that also included time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers.
RAIMO HELMINEN, FINLAND
Helminen broke out with a then-record 24-point performance at the 1984 world juniors, including 11 goals. Finland claimed silver, falling to the Soviet Union in Sweden. Helminen also competed for the Finns at the 1984 Olympics. He went on to become a second-round pick that same year to the New York Rangers. He played in the NHL from 1985-86 to 1986-87 and 1988-89 before going on to play the final 18 seasons of his career in Europe. He had 59 points (13 goals, 46 assists) in 117 career games in the NHL.
CONNOR BEDARD, CANADA
Bedard led all players at the 2023 event by a landslide while picking up his second gold medal in five months with Canada. He set national records for most points and assists in a single tournament, tied the national mark in career world junior goals (14) and passed Jaromir Jagr for most points at a tournament by a player aged 18 or younger. The North Vancouver, B.C., native now heads back to the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League to continue stamping himself as the favourite to be the top pick of the 2023 NHL draft.
ROBERT REICHEL, CZECHIA
Reichel led all performers at the 1990 showcase with 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists), as Czechia (then known as Czechoslovakia) earned bronze in Finland. A fourth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 1989 NHL draft, Reichel went on to play 11 seasons between 1990-91 and 2003-04. He spent five-plus seasons with the Flames before playing for the New York Islanders, the Arizona Coyotes and Toronto Maple Leafs. He finished with 630 points (252 goals, 378 assists) in 830 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2023.
