2015 NHL Mock Draft: Edmonton Oilers First Round Pick

With the first overall selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers are proud to select from the Erie Otters in the OHL, Connor McDavid.

"Kids like Connor – we all see how they play – you’ve got to have enough time with Connor to see what kind of kid he is. He’s a wonderful player, a wonderful young man, and he’s going to represent our game so well for a long, long time. He’s one of those kids that comes along once in a while – loves the game, has a great passion for the game, respects the game. He has a level that he plays at, we all have levels that we play at, and he has a level way up here, and he will play at that level consistently.” – Bobby Orr"

All Connor McDavid has done in his career is exceed expectations, and the expectation is he will do the same once he is in Edmonton. As a midget player, McDavid scored 209 goals in 88 games and in the OHL, he scored 285 points in 166 games played.

This season, Connor wore the “C” for the Otters and helped lead them to the OHL Championship, losing to the Oshawa Generals. McDavid’s final season in the OHL was one mark with many highs, and few lows.

McDavid notably broke his hand during a November fight that saw him miss over a month before his first game back during the World Junior Championships.

“When I realized he had hurt himself I went down immediately. We took him to the hospital right away. And I asked him what happened he said: ‘Dad, the guy jumped me. What else was I supposed to do? He dropped the gloves and started swinging. What else was I supposed to do?’ – Brian McDavid in the Toronto Star

Obviously having your star player fight is something you don’t want, but his willingness to stand up for himself during a heated moment like that just shows how much of a gamer McDavid really is.

McDavid is as big of as star off the ice as he is on it. At the age of 15, McDavid signed a 5-year endorsement deal with Reebok.

Over the course of his three year OHL career: McDavid was named to the OHL first All-Rookie team and Rookie of the Year in 2012-2013; In his second year (2013-2014), he was named CHL Scholastic Player of the Year, OHL Most Sportsmanlike PLayer, OHL Scholastic PLayer of the Year, and was a member of the OHL second All-Star Team; In his final season (2014-2015), McDavid was named to CHL Top Prospects Game and OHL first All-Star Team, and he was also named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, OHL Playoffs MVP and OHL Scholastic Player of the Year.

From Day One…

Born to Brian and Kelly McDavid in 1997, McDavid was a natural talent right from the start.

"At 3, when McDavid first went ice skating, he shook off his father’s hand. At 4, he begged his parents, Brian and Kelly, to let him play hockey a year early, so they lied about his age. At 5, he wore a nice shirt and tie to every one of his older brother’s games, just like the players. He listened to the pregame speech in the locker room, sat in the stands next to his mother and explained, in precise detail, any moment she missed while chatting with the other mothers, as the other brothers were off lollygagging. At 12, he dominated his father’s Sunday pickup games, weaving through a forest of adults, ducking under arms, passing through legs, scoring for fun. At 16, there he was, weaving again, as (Erie Otters Owner Sherry) Bassin, (McDavid’s agent Bobby) Orr and (McDavid’s trainer Gary) Roberts sat in the stands. – The New York Times"

His talent level is exceptional. In the games I saw McDavid play, it was clear to me that he saw the game at an entirely different level than any other player on the ice. His ability to fly up and down the ice allows him to toy with defenseman, forcing them to look silly trying to cover him. The way he is able to see the ice is out of this world.

It is almost like he is able to see the game in slow motion.

Wayne Gretzky said last month that McDavid was as good as he’s seen in the last 30 years.

Connor will immediately slide into the Oilers lineup next season, likely as the number two center. Arctic Ice Hockey predicted in January that McDavid’s NHL equivalency would have him scoring 63 points over an 82 game pace in the NHL.

Connor is ranked number one overall by Hockeyprospect.com, ISS Hockey, Future Considerations, McKeen’s Hockey and number one by NHL Central Scouting amongst North American skaters.

We are extremely excited to be able to watch, and cover Connor McDavid’s career over the next number of years.

SabreNoise, you are now on the clock…