Pats’ Bedard scores four in Canada’s rout of Austria

While some Canadian players had a good game Tuesday at the 2022 world junior hockey championship, Connor Bedard had a great one.

The Regina Pats star became the first 16-year-old since Wayne Gretzky in 1978 to score a hat trick for Canada at a world junior championship.

Then, just for good measure, Bedard scored his fourth of the game to tie the Canadian record for goals in a world junior contest. He’s the sixth Canadian to have a four-goal game at the world juniors.

Not surprisingly, he was named the player of the game for Canada (2-0-0) in its 11-2 victory over Austria in Edmonton.

Bedard is the first 16-year-old to make the Canadian world junior team since Connor McDavid in 2014. The only other players who have made Team Canada as 16-year-olds are Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Eric Lindros, Jason Spezza and Jay Bouwmeester.

Bedard has recorded five points in the 2022 tournament; he also had an assist in Sunday’s 6-3 victory over the Czechs.

Mason McTavish scored twice on Tuesday for Canada, which got its other goals from Kent Johnson, Lukas Cormier, Logan Stankoven, Cole Perfetti and Mavrik Bourque.

Lukas Necesany and Mathias Bohm scored for Austria, which fell to 0-2-0.

The Canadians’ next preliminary-round game is set for Wednesday against Germany.