David Bedkowski named 29th captain in Attack franchise history

Owen Sound, ON – The Owen Sound Attack have named Buffalo Sabres prospect David Bedkowski the 29th captain in franchise history.

The late-2006-born defenceman, who was selected 71st overall by Buffalo at the 2025 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, came to Owen Sound last season as part of the trade that sent former captain Colby Barlow to Oshawa. After being returned to the Attack by the Sabres yesterday, Bedkowski dressed in the club’s season-opening 3-2 overtime win in London and will now wear the ‘C’ moving forward.

Bedkowski recorded 3 goals and 4 assists in 25 games with Owen Sound after last year’s trade and has quickly become a cornerstone of the club’s blue line.

“It’s an incredible honour. The amazing captains that have come before me for this franchise, I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Bedkowski says. “It comes with a lot of responsibility, and I’m excited to do my absolute best to lead this team this year, and help some of our younger guys, and just lead by example and put everything on the line in the ultimate goal of winning a championship. We have an exciting group,” as he told Bayshore Broadcasting’s Matt Hermiz.

Attack head coach Scott Wray said the choice was clear.

“He just everything that a captain does on a daily basis. He’s a pro. He’s in the gym first thing before anybody else doing his maintenance. He’s a vocal leader. He does everything that I would want to do as a captain myself,” Wray says.

The 18-year-old defenceman said he’s been preparing for a leadership role since the summer, leaning on advice from team chaplain and billet Phil Reed, he told The Owen Sound Sun Times’ Greg Cowan.

“He’s been with the team over 15 years, so he’s seen a lot of captains and built relationships with them,” Bedkowski said. “He said it’s a mistake to think someone needs to change a lot about themselves to fill that role… It’s about staying true to yourself.”