The North Shore Winter Club may not appear extraordinary at first glance. Located in North Vancouver, the club is a 65-year-old members-only recreational facility housed in a dated, unremarkable brown brick building. Inside, it offers the typical amenities one would expect from a sports club, including swimming pools, tennis courts, and ice rinks.
However, a closer look reveals something remarkable about this unassuming club.
Approximately five years ago, during unstructured “open-ice” sessions, three future top-five NHL draft picks could be found skating, having fun, and diligently working on their games.
One of the young onlookers was Macklin Celebrini, who at the time was about 11 years old. He watched with awe as Connor Bedard, a year older than him, shot pucks during these sessions. Celebrini closely observed Bedard’s techniques, soaking up the finer points of his game.
Bedard’s incredible scoring ability left everyone, including the goalie, amazed and questioning how he achieved such feats.
Now, as the NHL Draft approaches, Bedard is expected to be the first pick, while Celebrini is a frontrunner for the first overall selection in 2024. Reflecting on those open-ice sessions, Celebrini acknowledges the importance of witnessing Bedard’s exceptional skills at a young age.
Another player who frequented these sessions was Kent Johnson, currently a winger for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Being a few years older than Celebrini and Bedard, Johnson remembers being blown away by Bedard’s remarkable abilities, comparing him to a young Connor McDavid.
While Vancouver is not known for its snow, with only nine days of snow on average per year compared to 160 days of rain, it has become a hotbed for producing elite NHL players. Past stars from the area include Paul Kariya, Cam Neely, Glenn Anderson, and Joe Sakic, all of whom are Hockey Hall of Famers. From 2009 to 2012, Vancouver-based players like Evander Kane, Ryan Johansen, Morgan Rielly, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins were selected in the top five of the NHL Draft, with Nugent-Hopkins ultimately going first overall.
However, none of these players dominated their age group to the extent that Bedard has at the major junior and international levels. Bedard’s remarkable performance sets him apart from any previous player in the Western Hockey League (WHL), making him the most productive 17-year-old in WHL history in terms of points per game.
While Bedard’s individual talent is evident, he did not develop in isolation. Several other Vancouver-based players, who could also be selected in the first round of this year’s NHL Draft, have contributed to the rise of hockey talent in the city.
One such player is Zach Benson from Chilliwack, who played alongside Bedard on the Vancouver Vipers, an unbeatable local spring hockey team. Andrew Cristall, Bedard’s Vipers linemate, also hails from Vancouver’s Kerrisdale neighborhood. Matthew Wood, a 6-foot-5 forward and another Vipers teammate, played junior hockey in Vancouver and spent time billeting with the Bedard family. Lukas Dragicevic, a big right-handed defenseman from Richmond, occasionally played with the Vipers in select tournaments. The fact that five potential first-round picks, including a generational talent like Bedard, emerged from the same spring hockey team is nothing short of exceptional.
While Celebrini did not play spring hockey with the other five prospects, closely observing their skills and accomplishments motivated him to become an elite prospect in his own right. The dominance of the Vipers team, which went undefeated in the Lower Mainland for five years, left Celebrini and his teammates in awe and wondering how.
