In his first-ever IIHF World Championship game, 18-year-old Connor Bedard scored twice, leading Canada to a 4-2 lead over Great Britain.

“The atmosphere was great. I didn't know what to expect,” Bedard said after the game. “I’ve played in Europe before, but never at a professional level. It was fun, the crowd was loud. Maybe they were more excited than us, jumping in the stands. It was fun.”

The game at Prague’s O2 Arena was played before an energetic, near-capacity crowd of 16,935. The fans – a mix of Czechs, travelling British fans, Canadian expats and various other international hockey fans who were in town for the tournament, were ready for the 12:20 PM local time start, but it seemed to take the Canadian team a while to get going.

“It was alright,” he said. “It was the first game for us together as a group. There are a lot of new players and coaches here. We are getting used to each other, but overall I think it was solid. We definitely have room for improvement, but it is a good start.”

In the game, Bedard was put on a line with Michael Bunting of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nick Paul of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadians fell behind on a Liam Kirk power-play goal but Bunting answered 30 seconds later with Paul providing a screen. Bedard didn’t get a point but drew the attention of the British defense away from his linemates.

“It was our first game together,” said Bedard. “They’re two great players, so they’re easy to play with. I’m trying to create space and make it easier for them.”

With Canada up 2-1 over halfway through the second period, Bedard struck twice less than four minutes apart to give the team some breathing room.

First, he capitalized on a rebound after a high point shot from Olen Zellweger that British goalie Jackson Whistle couldn’t control, and then he put a beautiful finishing touch on a feed from Paul off the rush.

“He’s a stud,” Bedard said about Anaheim Ducks defenseman Zellweger, who had two assists in the game. “I played against him in junior and one game in the NHL. I know he’s not an easy guy to defend when he’s dancing around up top there. I’ve been lucky to play with him in a few tournaments now.”

Looking at the tournament as a whole, Bedard said: “We don’t want our performance to drop. We’ll try to progress and improve, and hopefully, we do.”