Edmonton Oilers: Connor McDavid’s Historic Teenage Years
By Eric Friesen
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid accomplished more in hockey before the age of 20 than most players will in an entire career.
McDavid played his final game as a teenager on Thursday, and turned 20 on Friday. In Thursday’s win, he picked up a secondary assist on Patrick Maroon‘s game-tying goal and registered the primary helper on Leon Draisaitl‘s overtime winner. He was the first player this season to reach the 50-point mark. He also leads the league in scoring with 50 points in 44 games.McDavid, who turn 20 today, recorded 98 points in 89 career NHL games as a teenager.
McDavid’s 98 points in 89 career games is impressive, as is his 1.1 point per game production. He joins elite company of Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky with those stats, and is making his way into the NHL’s elite.
On the Way to Greatness
If not for a broken clavicle that interrupted 37 games of his rookie campaign, McDavid might have become the first rookie skater to score 90 points since Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in 2005-06.
Despite the time lost to injury, McDavid still finished third in team scoring with 16 goals and 48 points in 45 games. He was named NHL Rookie of the Month in every month he played in.
In addition, McDavid registered the third-highest points per game average in the NHL in 2015-16, behind only Patrick Kane (1.29) and Jamie Benn (1.09).
McDavid made history on Oct. 5, when he became the youngest captain in NHL history (19 years, 266 days). The decision was of course criticized by the fans and media alike. However, McDavid proved age is just a number, and that he is beyond capable of handling the pressures of being a captain.
He’s been preparing for that type of responsibility for his entire life.
A Generational Talent
On the international stage, McDavid has played for Team Canada on five different occasions through 2013. Since then, he has picked up three gold medals. He also served as captain of the U-23 Team North America squad at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
This past May, McDavid became the youngest player in history to win gold at the U-18 level, junior level and senior level (19 years, 130 days). He also tied Crosby’s tournament record for teenage assists at the World Championship, finishing with eight helpers.
Before being drafted by the Oilers, McDavid was the most decorated Canadian major junior player in history. A generational talent, McDavid became only the third player in OHL history to be granted exceptional player status
in 2012. That allowed him to play at the highest level of junior hockey at just 15 years of age.
During his three years of junior with the Erie Otters, McDavid tallied 97 goals and 285 points in 166 games. McDavid list of junior awards included the 2012 Jack Ferguson Award as the league’s top draft choice, 2014 William Hanley Award as OHL Most Sportsmanlike Player, 2014 and 2015 Bobby Smith Trophy as OHL Scholastic Player of the Year. He also picked up the 2014 and 2015 CHL Scholastic Player of the Year Award, 2015 Red Tilson Trophy as OHL Most Outstanding Player, 2015 CHL Player of the Year Award, as well as the 2015 CHL Top Draft Prospect Award.
Incredibly, the only individual award McDavid never won was the Eddie Powers as the OHL scoring champion. He was well on pace to win it in 2014-15 before missing six weeks with a broken hand.
A Glimpse Into the Future
The most exciting thing about McDavid for Oilers fans is that he’s only going to get better. The 20-year-old phenom has only scratched the surface of his potential in the NHL. When McDavid is 25, he might be almost unstoppable. Blessed with incredible speed, hands, vision and hockey sense, McDavid will be the best player in the NHL. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
McDavid has put himself in a good position to win the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion this season, but his idol growing up, Crosby, is going to push him right to the end. If McDavid does take home the Art Ross in June, he would become just the third second-year player to ever win the award, following Wayne Gretzky in 1980-81 and Crosby in 2006-07.
Points aside, Mcdavid is the ultimate team guy and doesn’t care if he scores or gets an assist on any given night as long as long as the Oilers win. That is exactly the mentality you want in a captain. McDavid is likely to have multiple 100=point seasons and win many individual awards in his career, but his legacy will be made in the playoffs.
This is a team that can turn into regular Stanley Cup contenders over the next decade. But, it all starts with making the playoffs this season.
Kicking off his 20s, Oilers fans everywhere are looking forward to watching every minute of it on the ice.