"He's got exceptional status for a reason": Connor Bedard's historic night commands the spotlight at the World Juniors

EDMONTON, Alberta -- There was no telling if Connor Bedard would even make Team Canada's World Juniors roster this time a month ago. His talent was undeniable, but the list of 16-year-olds to don the maple leaf in this tournament is a short one.

Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby are the only players to have made the cut in the last 20 years; in total, 10 players have pulled off this feat. Today's four-goal performance places Bedard second in that group in scoring, with five points through two contests with four and five games in hand. It also makes him the first 16-year-old to score a hat trick for Canada at this tournament since Wayne Gretzky.

"Most of those goals are kind of just in front of the net and I'm just getting a stick on something or something like that," a humble Bedard told repo