"You never want to be like, 'Oh I can't do this,'" Bedard said. "I don't think that mindset is great. But I'm not him and I'm my own person, my own player. I think he's the pinnacle right now and you're like, 'This guy is the best or one of the best. How can I get closer to him?'
"That's such a great thing in sports is you're always competing against guys, competing against teams and you want to win. For me to get to spend time with him, be on the ice with him and just try to compete with him, he's obviously unbelievable. You can barely talk about his stats because they're so ridiculous. But for me, it's trying to be my own player and the best I can be."
Bedard soon will begin to walk his own NHL path. The nerves are there, but so is the eagerness.
"Your dream and lifelong goal is to play in the NHL and be an impact player in the NHL and that's what I want to do," he said. "For me, it's just about training, going to camp and earning my spot on the team.
"Of course I want to be a good player and be making a difference and I want to win. That's like anyone in the League. Of course there's some nerves, but there's so much excitement just to get there and get going."