Connor McDavid hasn't had the best of times recently, with the Oilers making a poor start to their campaign for the second season running. Then came an ankle injury on Monday night in Columbus versus the Blue Jackets, with everyone concerned waiting for a news on how long he will be out for at the time of writing.
(Update: As per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the worst-case scenario has been averted with McDavid's injury. It seems like at least a couple of weeks out, but the exact timeline is to be determined.)
Away from the Oilers, there has been what could be considered as more positive news for the five-time Art Ross Trophy winner. As per Josh Sweetland of CHL.ca, details have been released for the inaugural Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.
As per Sweetland, the OHL's signature event will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, at the Civic Centre in Brantford, Ontario. The games is essentially a platform, to showcase the league’s top NHL Draft eligible prospects.
A well-deserved honour for McDavid
With the game now being named after McDavid, this is certainly an honour for arguably the OHL's greatest ever player, with him going on to become one of the best in NHL history. This honour is in addition to the recent announcement, that he will have his number 97 jersey retired by the Erie Otters in a ceremony this coming Jan. 10.
Certainly, McDavid's resume from his time in the OHL is extremely impressive. This includes being named Rookie of the Year, MVP of the playoffs (named after a certain Wayne Gretzky) and two-time Academic Player of the Year.
OHL Commissioner Bryan Crawford is understandably proud of McDavid and what the league has accomplished in general throughout their history. As per a statement included within Sweetland's article, Crawford said:
""The OHL produced 39 players selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, the most by any league in the world. We’ve produced more than 2,500 NHL Draft selections over the past 55 years, and this event, named after one of the league’s distinguished alumni and one of the best players to ever play the game, will only serve to build on that great tradition of development.""
The players who are selected as MVP for their respective teams in the game (East versus West), will receive the Connor McDavid 97 Award. Unfortunately for them however, the man himself will not be on hand to present the award, as the Oilers have a game that same night, in Minnesota against the Wild.