Blackhawks Connor Bedard With Two More Goals Plus Assist To Lead Canada Past Denmark 5-1 At IIHF World Championship

Connor Bedard scored two goals for the second straight game and added an assist to lead Canada to a 5-1 win over Denmark at the IIHF World Championship in Prague on Sunday.

Canada improved to 2-0 in its defense of the world championship title. Bedard has four goals and one assist through his first two games at the tournament, which runs through May 26 in Czechia.

Bedard in action for the Blackhawks in April at Vegas.

Bedard opened the scoring Sunday 2:24 into the first period, sweeping to the top of the slot then firing. Dane goalie Frederik Dichow was screened by two players tussling at the edge of the crease.

Bedard connected again at 1:52 of the third to increase Canada's lead to 3-1.

He carried the puck down the ice on a 2-on-1 break with Arizona Coyotes forward Dylan Guenther, then shoveled the puck on net. Dichow stopped Bedard's backhander, but Guenther retrieved the puck behind the net and fed Bedard at the left edge of the crease.

Bedard set up Pierre-Luc Dubois' power-play goal with 21 seconds left to complete the scoring.

Michael Bunting and Dawson Mercer also scored for Canada. St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington made 19 saves.

Bedard Firing Away

As usual, Bedard didn't hesitate to shoot, posting five shots on Sunday to increase his total to nine in two games. He had 14:54 of ice time over 20 shifts against Denmark.

The 18-year-old Bedard is the youngest player on Canada's team, a squad stocked by NHLers whose teams are out of the playoffs. He was the league's leading rookie scorer in 2023-24 with 22 goals and 61 points in 68 games, despite missing 14 contests with a broken jaw.

Bedard had four two-goal games for Chicago last season.

A North Vancouver, British Columbia native, Bedard has picked up where he left off in international competition after leading Canada to a IIHF World Junior Championship in January 2023. The teenager was named the IIHF's 2023 Male Player of the Year after putting up a record 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists) in seven games in the 2022-23 WJC tournament in Atlantic Canada.

Canada next plays on Tuesday, meeting Austria at 8:20 p.m. local time in Prague.